Lethal
by BreeLand
Summary: After committing a crime, Eleanor Darling, a seventeen-year-old aspiring doctor, finds herself as an experimental patient. When the lives of her parents are threatened by Amanda Waller, she is forced to join Task Force X. Unexpectedly, she makes a few unusual allies who may benefit from her unusual gifts. Who wouldn't want a lethal friend who can defy death? (Under Construction)
1. Accepted

Chapter I

 _ **A**_ _ccepted_

The safety briefing, required by the facility, lasted longer than Amanda Waller had the patience for. Useless instructions were followed by various precautions. Do not touch or share personal information with the subject. Do not, under any circumstances, hand anything to the subject. Pleading from the subject is an act of resistance. If the subject attempts or threatens to advance, gunmen will shoot without hesitation. Subject 040199 is dangerous, unstable, and lethal.

Amanda listened, against her will, to the same instructions countless times. She was circulated between seven staff members that informed her about the same things the previous one had. The personnel assured her that their cautious behavior had a purpose. They tried to convince Amanda that the briefing was indeed not _a waste of time_ as she had "politely" referred to it. Their apologizes for the inconvenience did not help the situation either. Waller continued to ignore their scripted speeches. The staff's concern for the agent was pointless because they fell on deaf ears.

To Amanda's relief, the safety briefing ended an hour after her arrival. The staff escorted her into a private sector where she was to wait for further instruction. She had been informed that Anita Bloom, head of the department, was solving a few issues, and that she would arrive momentarily.

For the _moment_ , Amanda sat and focused her attention on the informational packet she had received upon arrival. The folder she held in her hand was thick and well organized. The inmate's number was written on the small label instead of her legal name: _Eleanor Darling_.

According to her file, Eleanor, commonly referred to as Lennie, was a bright, young lady. She graduated from High School at the age of fourteen. At fifteen, she began her university life in Pennsylvania. Hoping to become a surgeon, she invested her talents in medical programs. She had managed to accomplish many of her goals, despite her young age. Her family was proud of her, especially her father.

Eleanor Darling had worked hard towards her dream of becoming a doctor; her end goal was to save as many lives as possible. The only problem was, instead of becoming a doctor, she had become a patient. Eleanor had committed a crime to save her father's life, or at least that's what she claimed in the trial. Her sentence was death.

Once the government found out about her _gifts_ , Eleanor was provided the opportunity to skip out on the electric chair, and rot in a facility. They threw her into a cell to live the rest of her miserable days as a lab rat. Headlines stated that she had died for her crimes. No one asked questions. No one knew that she was suffering.

"Agent Waller."

Anita Bloom, the head of the department, entered the room. She appeared to be a polished professional with her hair slicked back into a ponytail and a white doctor coat draped over her black dress. A pair of glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, showing off her hazel eyes. On her lips was a fake smile, one that Amanda could not stand. Bloom stretched out her hand for the agent to shake, but Amanda made no action to complete the gesture. Anita retracted her hand awkwardly.

"Thank you for joining us, Ms. Waller. I am your escort, Anita Bloom," she spoke her name proudly with her nose in the air. "I can assure you that our facility will exceed your expectations."

"I do _not_ like waiting."

The doctor's smile never managed to fall despite Waller's obvious display of rudeness. "I apologize for the inconvenience. I really do, Ms Waller, but our subject -" She stopped herself and thought of a good word to describe Eleanor's behavior. "She was difficult today. I can assure you that my team has regained control and she will not be a problem during your visit."

"Good."

 _This is going to be a long evaluation_ , Anita thought while gritting her teeth together in annoyance. She really did not know how much rudeness she could take from Waller before replying in a similar fashion or worse, snapping. She pivoted on her heel, and moved towards the exit. She motioned for the agent to follow.

"If you will follow me, I will escort you to our subject 040199."

Bloom scanned her identification badge on the card reader, and Waller rose from her seat to follow the director's lead. "I hope that my colleagues have discussed all the necessary precautions regarding 040199. She can be quite problematic at times," Doctor Bloom stated.

A loud buzzing noise came from the card reader, and Waller's reply was never heard. Thick, metal doors opened outwards to reveal a narrow hallway. The hall was so small that a wheelchair would not be able to roll through. The two ladies entered, Doctor Bloom in front and Waller behind.

"I must say that she had been a benefit to various studies," she continued in order to drown out the silence. "I will deal with her attitude and occasional revolts as long as she continues to produce results. This girl has a _gift._ "

Amanda did not appreciate Anita's chatty tendencies. She prefered the silence more than the blabbering of the facility's director. She was glad when they came to a halt after winding down the hallway. Bloom, once again, placed her badge on the scanner to open the new set of doors.

The buzzing from the door cut off their one way conversation. The entrance opened outward to reveal a busy work environment. It was dazzled with lights and medical tools. There were various noises including beeps, voices, and tiny alarms. The room was set up like a laboratory. There were desk arranged for the doctors to record information. Touch screen monitors were above each work space and hung on the wall. The room had a large glass window which divided it in half. Inside the glass was the subject's experimental enclosure.

Waller approached the glass to see the notorious girl that had brought her halfway across the country. Eleanor Darling had been labeled as a god, the devil, and a demon, yet all Waller saw was a child. She was disappointed in the lack of horns, hellish fire, and metal pitchfork.

She was a small, teenage girl who appeared to be one hundred pounds wet. Her curly hair was away from her face and secured in two braids that came to her shoulders. Tubes, wires, and needles were inserted into various parts of her body, recording and monitoring her every move.

"Please allow me to remind you, Ms. Waller, do not touch the glass," the director said.

Amanda was quick to snap at the woman. "I've heard the briefing."

Without warning, a scream erupted from the subject. Eleanor Darling laid bound to an upright metal bed with her hands, neck, and feet bound by steel straps. Her eyes were closed in a grimace and her skin was a clammy pale. Every few seconds, her voice had a raw ring of pain and she would shout in pain. The sound was both appalling and disturbing. Moments later, she went quiet and her breathing lingered in the form of a pant.

"Electrical shocks."

"Excuse me?" Amanda questioned.

Another yell came from the teenage victim. Bloom waited for the girl to settle down before explaining her previous statement. "She's screaming because of the electrical shocks. We are testing out a new punishment. We apply thirty second shocks to her temples, and give her a ten second break in between."

"How long do you do this?"

"For as long as we need to," Anita shrugged. "Sometimes it's for thirty minutes, other times we do it until she stops convulsing. It's remarkable actually. She is currently experiencing a voltage similar to the electric chair. Today," she paused and looked up at the monitor, "she had managed to last thirty-seven minutes without dying."

 _So, it was true. This girl did have a gift._

Bloom pressed a green, intercom button displayed on the command desk. When the buzz sounded, she began to speak. "Please prepare subject 040199 for conversation. Her visitor has arrived."

When finished with her announcement, Bloom once again spun on her heel and turned towards Agent Waller. That fake smile had returned and she gestured for Amanda to follow her. "If you would, our subject will be waiting."

With the amount of funding given to this facility, Waller had expected more. She was not impressed with their interrogation room which was nothing more than a concrete pen. There was one way in and one way out; a door handle was not on the inside and a badge scanner was in the top corner in case of an emergency. The only available light was a naked bulb that hung from the low ceiling. To top it off, the room had an odd aroma. It smelled as though the floors had been cleaned with dirty water instead of disinfectant.

The room was small, stuffy, and barely able to host two human beings.

Subject 040199, Eleanor Darling, was present when Waller arrived. She sat at a table which had two chairs. One of the chairs was significantly more sophisticated than the other. Eleanor's chair had bolts, latches, and binds to ensure Amanda's safety and her restriction. Amanda's chair, on the other hand, was a metal fold out that would be used at a child's piano recital.

The guards were gracious enough to provide the two with space, but not privacy. Two stood outside the room, staring in through a peephole. The others monitored their conversation using surveillance.

"My name is Amanda Waller," the agent introduced, "I've come to speak with you."

Eleanor, who currently had her forehead plastered to the table, did not respond or move. Amanda sighed in annoyance. This was not her first rodeo, and she knew that if she wanted a reaction, she needed to start providing an incentive for the girl. She retrieved folders from her bag and lined them up on the table. She opened each on the reveal classified information.

"I know about your abilities. Before Superman, no one would have believed me if I told them about your _gifts_." Amanda noticed that the word _gift_ caused Eleanor to shift in her seat. She was uncomfortable with the conversation, that was easy to see. "Three men dead, Ms. Darling. No murder weapon, but a whole lot of blood. You didn't even touch them. Some call you the Grim Reaper."

The last sentenced seemed to get the reaction Amanda was waiting for. Her head shot up and she looked into the agent's eyes. Her face expressed the guilt and regret that burdened her heart. Eleanor was biting her lip and sniffling, all in an attempt to fight back the tears.

Amanda noticed something odd about the girl. Four bruises were on her face. Two on her forehead and two on her temples. She assumed that the electrical shock pads were the reason for the discoloration. The skin underneath seemed to be burnt and wilted. Dark circles laid beneath her eyes. They were the same color as her irises, black.

For someone who was only seventeen, Eleanor looked close to death; aged well beyond her years. By the ashiness of her skin and the peeling of her lips, she looked more like a corpse than a teenager.

"I didn't want to do it!" She cried. Her hands flexed against the binds and she thrashed in her seat. "He made me do it!" She kept repeating herself, as if she was trying to convince herself more than she was trying convenience Amanda.

"I don't care what you've done or not done, Ms. Darling." Amanda searched through her files as she spoke. "I don't care what you want to do. All I care about is what you can do, and what you are going to do for me."

A document was placed face down on the table, ready to be turned over if the girl did not cooperate. "I'm assembling a team," she began, "one that I think can do some real good in this world."

The word _no_ escaped the girl's mouth before Amanda could even finish. She knew where this was going; others had asked her to do the same exact thing. Eleanor steadily shook her head and whispered _no_ under her breath.

"I know that you wanted to help people, Ms. Darling. That's why you were studying medicine. You wanted to cure the incurable, help the blind see. With this project, you can save millions of lives."

The mention of her past life seemed to pain her. Eleanor hung her head low. Her body began to shake, her foot began to tap. All body language indicators that she was nervous, scared, and uncomfortable. "Ms. Waller, what exactly are you asking me to do?"

"Follow orders," she replied, "and be a team player."

Once again, fear consumed Eleanor. Her stomach lurched and her heart began to ache. The tapping of her foot became louder and the shaking of her body more prevalent. "You need me to kill people, don't you?" she gasped out. "Listen, miss. I-I can't. You don't know what it feels like to take another human's life."

"I've done it plenty of times," Amanda confessed with a stern face.

"No," Eleanor retorted through her teeth. "Not the way I have. I can feel it, you know. Every time I take a life, I can feel the breath leave their lungs. I may not feel the pain, but I experience it with them. I understand how their throat burns when I cut off their air supply. I can feel the burn of their heart. The _want_...that _desire_ to survive, to live! You see, Ms. Waller, you will never take a human's life like I have."

Amanda had suspected that Eleanor's values would get in the way of her accepting the offer. She was only seventeen and had been in the government's possession for nearly a year. The facility's trials had made her mentally unstable and she was not about to trust just anyone. Handling her was difficult. That was the reason why Amanda had personally come. Getting people to do things that they didn't want to do in order to save what was important to them was her specialty.

She turned over the documents that were on the table. There were three pictures on the paper: a family, a woman, and a criminal.

The first one was a family photo of the Darling family. Eleanor remembered the moment the picture was taken. It had been Christmas morning, and her father had returned from business in New York. Her mother had set the camera on a timer as the family of three huddled around the decorated tree. It had been one of the only pictures Eleanor had of her father. Despite him being a family man, he often refused to take photos. Especially photos with his family.

The second picture was of her mother, Pauline Darling. The image was blurry and dark but Eleanor could still identify the woman as her mother. Pauline was leaving what appeared to be a club. She had sunshades on, even though it was night. She was striding to a car with a tall, buff man following her.

The final photo was a mug shot; her father's mugshot. He stood with the black and white sign stating Gotham City Prison. He had a head injury, with blood running down his face. Eleanor stared at the third picture the longest.

Her lips quivered as she mumbled, "My father's in jail?" Her statement had been more of a question for herself than for the woman that sat in front of her.

 _What happened when they took me?_

"I know where your parents are, Ms. Darling. I can take you to them as long as you agree to cooperate and work for me."

That was when Eleanor realized that Amanda Waller was nothing but bad news. She had been told a similar promise nearly two years ago. That was the reason that she had been locked up in this hell hole. If this woman before her, this government agent or whatever, thought that she was going to swindle her, then she had another thing coming.

Eleanor gripped the sides of the chair, and expression of rage on her face. "Before you think to attack me," - Amanda quickly spat out - "there are cameras! They will come and put you back in that cell to rot, and you will never see me again. Your opportunity and I will be thrown out the window. If you follow my orders, you can leave with me tonight. No more trials, experiments, or dying."

"My mother and father-"

"Are in my custody, and will remain in my custody until your mission is complete. After that, you can see them."

Any sane person would accept Amanda's offer over being locked in a filthy cell and experimented on, but something was stopping the word _yes_ from escaping Eleanor's lips. Adrenaline flooded her system as she weighed the options. Stay in this facility and allow doctors to scramble her brain like an egg or become a murderer to leave. She had admit, the second option was quite selfish but she was an only child. She had grown up to be selfish.

Eleanor made eye contact with the woman and spoke, "Consider your offer accepted."

* * *

 **Hello!** _Thank you so much for reading. I never finish any fanfiction, normally because of writers block or lost in interest, so I decided to write this one because I love the characters of the Suicide Squad even though the movie did not meet all my expectations. While there may be a few chances of romance in this story, it will not be the main focus. So, hopefully you enjoyed the first chapter and will be coming back for more!_

 **Question of the week:** _What do you think the numbers in Eleanor's subject (040199) stand for?_


	2. Burning

Chapter II

 _ **B** urning_

Leverage, it was what Amanda had over ever criminal. She was glad to say that Task Force X officially had a new member, a beneficial one. A smirk lined Amanda Waller's lips as she pulled out a device from her pocket. With three finger strokes, the device omitted a quiet beep and the woman leaned in over the table.

"You have sixty seconds before the surveillance notice that I have tampered with their system." Waller pointed to all the cameras in the room that now played old footage over and over. "Get us out of here."

Eleanor's eyes grew wide and she wanted to tell the lady before her that she was insane. When she agreed to this little project, she assumed that the facility was in on it. Now she was definitely sure that this lady was either a rebel or testing her.

"I want you to kill everyone in this facility," she ordered.

"Excuse me?" Eleanor replied with a huff.

"Ms. Darling, I can not afford for their to be any survivors." Amanda pressed her badge against the chair's scanner. The moment the light turned from red to green, the metal plates opened. Eleanor stood to her feet and stretched her limbs.

"I told you, lady, I can't just kill people!"

Amanda gripped the girl by the front of her shirt and pulled her close. The girl smelt foul, probably from the fact that she was neglected. "If you want your parents to live, then get me out right now."

She inhaled deeply and slapped Amanda's hand off of her chest. At first, the agent thought that the girl wasn't going to follow the orders, but she did the opposite. The two guards outside the window began to choke on their own blood, before falling to the ground.

"Scan your badge and get us out," she stated through her teeth. Hatred was laced in her tone and Amanda knew that this girl did not like her any longer.

She scanned her badge and the door buzzed unlock. The two stepped outside the room. While Amanda ignored the bodies, Eleanor could not. Her eyes were enlarged as she saw what she actually did to them. A hand covered her mouth and backed away from the two she murdered.

"I can't..." she whispered to the agent.

Eleanor turned to hold the wall. She then vomited up the only contents in her stomach, stale bread and water. The world was spinning and she sat on the ground so that she would not pass out.

"Your paren-"

"I know!" Eleanor screamed to cut off the woman. She already knew that if she didn't comply her parents would die. But, how many people would she need to kill in order to save the lives of two people. Ten...twenty...hundreds?

After a moment or two, she stood to her feet, convincing herself that her parents would do the same for her. She had to do what she could, if she wanted her parents back in her arms. She pictured them in her mind, and their faces was what allowed her to kill any guards that approached them. It did not take her long to forget that these people were humans.

She had the guards dropping like flies. When spotted, Eleanor would end the security officer's life. Backup was not even considered an option. Each body would fall to the ground, either convulsing or bleeding, and the pair would continue on. Waller was happy to admit that investing in Eleanor Daring was not a disappointment. Young, determined, and lethal was what she considered the perfect package.

Eleanor successfully led them to the third hallway before the end of sixty seconds. Every few moments or so, Amanda would check her device to see if the security had noticed their absence. She replayed camera footage as well as disabled Eleanor's tracking device. So far, the two had managed to go undetected.

They reached the end of the hall and stopped. Agent Waller raised her badge to the scanner, anticipating the doors to open. Instead of of an green flash and beep, the scanner buzzed red.

"Shit."

A warning sound was omitted from her device, yet she did not bother to check it. Amanda's sixty seconds were up, and she was positive security would arrive shortly. Losing Eleanor would be a casualty which she could not afford. She had to develop a solution fast.

She reached for her gun and shot at the four cameras in the hallway. The sound of bullets firing startled Eleanor. She placed her hands over her ears and cowered towards the hall's wall.

"Are you crazy?" She shouted while she gripped the wall for support. She was obviously in shock.

Amanda momentarily placed her gun back in her holster. She pulled other electronic device, and walked in the direction from which they came. Her badge was suppose to have worked even if the faculty attempted to disable it. With the fact that the scanner would not let her through, she had to change plans.

She hated when she had to change her plans.

"The second they see you on those cameras, they are going to come after us. We need a way out," she briefly explained. The two took a sharp left, and Amanda shot the next couple of cameras.

"The only way out are those doors," Eleanor said as she pointed towards the other direction. "We have t-to find a working badge."

Amanda rolled her eyes when she turned to see that the teenager was a jittery mess. She had her arms crossed over her chest as the pair sped down the corridor. "You don't think I know that," she retorted rudely as she typed on her device. She continued to tap on her screen until satisfied. Within three finger strokes, her message was sent.

"Those guards that are dead," Eleanor began, "they have badges. If we continue down this way," - she pointed down the hall - "we can get them and go through."

"That is where we are going," the agent replied as though it was obvious.

Eleanor became irritated with the woman's rudeness. "I'm sorry, but you're the one who came and asked me for help. It was not the other way around. Everything was fine before you arrived."

"If being tortured, held against your will, and starved is fine to you, then you need to raise your standards."

Eleanor was about to retort but she paused and placed the palm of her hand to her neck. Amanda could see the veins in her neck pulsating. One moment she seemed fine and the next, she was in utter pain.

A familiar sensation caused her to scream. Her face contorted in agony. Her eyes were wide, and her skin drained of its color. Eleanor's fist clenched, which caused her to have white knuckles. Her nails dug into her neck. An electrical charge, strong enough to kill a man, surged through her body.

"Ms. Darling?"

She dropped to her knees and collapsed on the floor.

"Eleanor?" Amanda shouted.

When the girl did not reply, Amanda realized that this was how they controlled her. She was dying. She was barely breathing; her breath came out raspy and irregular. Her face appeared like the way it did when she had seen her for the first time from the control room. On the floor, Eleanor laid paralyzed.

"Subject 040199," a voice rang. An alarm began to blare. Obnoxious yellow lights filled the hallway to reinforce the warning. "This alarm is for your safety. If you resist our attempt to contain you, you will be possible harmed or killed. Please remain on the ground, and await command. Do not move and do not resist."

The voice continued to spit out its warnings as guards rushed in. "Do not move. Do not resist." Amanda watched as the soldiers approached in a circular formation. Their guns pointed at Eleanor, ready to shoot. "This is for your safety."

Eleanor's head was pounding. She could barely hear the warnings, let alone understand them. This was the most painful shock she had ever received. Normally, she would receive a sedation, which her body had formed a toleration to, or shot at. These new electric shocks in which the facility were implementing, managed to stop her. She would be in pain and immobile.

After minutes of being paralyzed, Eleanor was able to bring her legs in to form a fetal position. The pain subsided, and the burning sensation in her neck was replaced with an icy numbness. Even though she was halfway through recovery, Eleanor continue to play into the pain act. The longer she kept the impression that she was in agony, the longer they would wait to electrocute her.

A guard's communication device rang with the voice of Doctor Bloom. "Secure Agent Waller," she spoke, and the guards moved.

Three advanced towards the woman. They pulled her away from Eleanor and secured against a wall. The teenager gave Amanda a look, an expression that told her not to resist, that she had it under control. When she saw that the agent had given a slight nod, Eleanor closed her eyes once again.

"Status of subject?" buzzed the voice

"Heart rate is peaked, and the subject is immobile. Shows no signs of resistance or hostility," he responded.

"Secure her."

Four men approached her; their guns were pointed while they surrounded her. "Subject 040199, are you willing to comply?" inquired one of the guards, "Please nod your head once to show compliance."

Instead of a nod, a high pitch whistle escaped the lips of Eleanor as she took in air. To everyone's surprise, her eyes shot open to reveal deep brown orbs. Her pupils were enlarged, and her expression was furious. She outstretched her hand towards the men. Within seconds, many events took place.

The guards who were approaching her fell to the ground and began to convulse. Blood spilled from their mouths as their bodies twisted and wiggled on the floor. The remaining security opened fired, making sure to keep Waller behind them. The men stopped shooting after firing approximately three bullets each. Amanda watched as the white of their eyes began to fill with blood. Seconds later, each of them were blinded.

The worst part was their screams. Each individual sounded like a baby who had been thrown into a tumbling dryer. Eleanor was torturing them. She continued to rupture their eyes, and destroy their organs. Before twenty seconds had passed, all the guards were dead, and lying on the ground next to Eleanor.

Another wave of electricity hit her. Eleanor let out a loud gasp as the pain moved from her neck into her spine. "We need to hurry," she screamed through clenched teeth. When the shocks ended, she held out her hand to Amanda.

"Help," she gasped, "they shot me."

Amanda took her arm and hoisted her up. The girl screamed due to the pain of bullets lodged into her body and the aftermath of electrical shocks. "It's okay," she hissed out once she was secured by Amanda. "I just have to heal. I'll be fine."

The clank of metal against tile was heard, as one of the bullets from her body fell to the floor. The spot in which she had been shot was now fully healed. The hole was gone, and a new layer of skin had formed. "Let's go," Amanda commanded as she slung the girl's arm around her neck. Eleanor nodded her head in agreement.

The two grabbed a couple of badges off the dead soldiers and headed out. The slim hallways were enough of a hassle to navigate. The fact that Eleanor was not breathing and being held by Amanda, did not help the situation. She had not expected their escape to be so time consuming or irritating. She had planned it out, and Amanda hated when her plans did not follow through.

"Don't you work for the government?" Eleanor questioned. "Why isn't the military here to rescue us?"

"Not a part of the plan," she answered. "Left or right."

"Right," she replied. "Sorry, to sound rude, but your plan doesn't seem to be going well." She hissed as another clank sounded. Once again, a bullet had been pushed out of her body, and the hole was now closed.

The lights began to flicker as the hall suddenly grew cold. Eleanor tensed when she detected the presence of a dark aura. An unfamiliar sound rang in her ears; she could not determine if it was a buzzing or a ringing. It was like the noise a bee would make mixed with the chiming or enchanted bells. With the blink of an eye, an odd woman appeared.

"Meet Plan B," Amanda introduce smugly, "The Enchantress."

Eleanor would be lying if she said that she was not afraid of the woman, or thing rather, that stood in front of her. She appeared to be dirty, wild, and something out of a horror movie. What she lacked in clothing, she made up for in dark marked tattoos. She was taller than Agent Waller and much taller than Eleanor. The Enchantress sniffed the air, observing her surroundings. She approached them, and Amanda felt Eleanor attempt to step back.

"This isn't real," she gasped out.

"Do you think a teenager who can kill people without even touching them is more realistic?"

The Enchantress stared at Eleanor. It was as though she knew something that the teenager did not. Her eyes glowed an unnatural golden colour. Gently, she touched the cheek of the girl, and caressed it. Their eyes never looked away from each others. She muttered a foreign language under her breath, and then refocused her attention.

"Get us out," Waller ordered.

The Enchantress sneered, but complied with the order. She took a hold of the two, and teleported away. It was odd feeling to be transported at such a quick speed. One moment, they were in the dimly lit hallway. The next, they were standing in a parking lot nearly twenty miles away from the facility.

Eleanor had to shield her eyes from the harsh rays of sunlight. She had not seen the natural light of day in almost a year and a half. A small smile emerged on her face as she took in her surroundings. No more hallways which led to nowhere. No more torturing. No more questioning. No more testing.

"Flag," Amanda called out. A man, dressed in camouflage BDUs jogged over to the trio.

His stare was fixated on the Enchantress. He watched her as though no one else in the world mattered. That woman seemed to be his only concern. Eleanor thought that he was perhaps afraid of her.

"Put Eleanor in the car."

He took one more glance at the Enchantress before asking Eleanor to follow him. She went along, no questioned asked. She only glanced back twice to see why Amanda was not following them. The first time she looked, Amanda had mumbled a command to the Enchantress. She disappeared, leaving the agent to stand alone, awaiting her return. The second time she glimpsed, the odd woman had returned. She carried a small stack of folders, and a metal object that appeared to be a button.

"Here you go," the man said as he pointed to the door of the van.

Flag, the name Agent Waller had called him, opened the door for Eleanor. She gave a weak smile as well as a nod of thanks before entering. A sudden pain stung at the back of her neck, and Eleanor gasped. The man behind her had placed a needle in her body, injecting a foreign liquid.

The sedative was working faster than she was able to react. Eleanor felt her body fall into the arms of someone. Her vision became blurry. Her body was numb. She was unable to defend herself. The last sound she heard was the last two bullets falling to the ground with a clank. The last thing she saw was the facility that she escaped burning.

* * *

 **Hello!** _Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! I did not think that my story was going to get the attention that it did! I am happy to know that so many people are interested. I have decided to make this story between fifteen and twenty chapters. Hopefully, I can stay on track and finish it!If you enjoy this story, please continue to review and provide suggestions._

 **Question of the Week:** _Which squad member do you think Eleanor like the most and who do you think she will like the least?_


	3. Corpse

Chapter III

 _ **C**_ _orpse_

Eleanor arose from her sedated slumber neither refreshed nor energized; she awoke with rage. Her eyes opened, and despite the fact that her vision was blurry, she knew that she was in a prison cell. Smaller than the one at the facility, the room was an eight by eight concrete cube. There was a door near the front, but no windows available. The room lacked furniture, not even a bed was provided for her. She was currently laying on the cold, disgusting floor.

It was not until she saw the explosives lining the walls, that she realized that her decision had been a bad one. Her agreement to help Waller had caused her life to take a turn for the worse.

Adrenaline surged through Eleanor's veins as she let out a scream of anger. It was the kind of scream that would make another person shutter. It pierced the ears of others, and was laced with obvious fury. She tried to push herself off the floor, only to realize that her arms had been secured in a strait jacket, rendering her practically immobile.

She screamed again.

"You're stupid," she degraded herself, slamming her head against the floor. "You are so stupid, Lennie!"

Repeatedly, she banged her head against the concrete, not caring if her head cracked open; if it did, the wound would heal itself in a matter of minutes. "She did not want to help you! No one in this world wants to help you!"

She had hoped that the woman was not a liar; that she actually wanted to help her. In reality, Amanda Waller was not a saint attempting to do good in this world. She did not have the best interest for Eleanor or her family. She was a manipulative, conniving woman, who had taken advantage of a desperate teenager. She was a devil who Eleanor had sold her soul to.

A tear slid down her cheek. After a year and a half in that hell of a facility, Eleanor thought she had no more tears left to cry. But here she was, lying on a hard, cold floor, crying. That single tear was followed by another one. Another one followed the second. Soon, a steady stream of salty tears flowed it's way down her cheeks. She released the sadness and pain that she had locked up inside for so long.

The worst part of the situation was that she did not know the actual status of her parents. Eleanor did not know if her father was in jail or if her mother was in hiding. For all she knew, Amanda Waller could have photoshopped those images. Eleanor's one sliver of hope was her parents. If they were gone, she had no reason to live.

A sudden banging at the cell door startled her. The voice that came after the knock was masculine and demanded respect. Somehow, she managed to successfully sit herself up. Eleanor saw that the view window opened; it was the same size as a letterbox on a household entrance. A pair of eyes stared at her from the window.

The guard shined a flashlight into the cell. Blinded, Eleanor turned away in an attempt to get the light out of her eyes.

"Bright?" he asked as though he was actually concerned. "Good."When she made no attempt to respond to his rather rude comment, he continued. "Listen, cupcake."

 _I am not your cupcake_ , Eleanor thought.

"We have some ground rules before we take you out, okay? Try any of your voodoo shit, and your parents die. Don't touch me, bother me, or provoke me, and I won't murder your ass. So, can you play nice with me and my men? I just need you to act civilized."

Eleanor scuffed the word _civilized_ under her breath. She had been drugged, restrained, and tossed into a cell by these individuals and he was telling her to be _civilized_. "You put me in a cage," she replied bluntly. She had never been one to be rude, but Eleanor was not feeling the need to be polite in this situation.

He rolled his eyes before saying, "It's called a cell, sweetheart. If you would like, I could show you a cage. Be happy that you get this prime real estate after the shit you've done."

"Small to be a cell," she remarked, looking around the enclosed space. "Is this up to state standards or does the state not know about this facility."

He gave a fake laugh before snarling at the girl. " . You know, you're so damn funny. You should do stand up." He closed the slate and her cell once again grew dark.

"I heard that you heal faster than you die," he announced behind the door. Even though his voice was muffled, Eleanor could still make out his words. "Let's test that theory, shall we?"

She did not have time to panic. The door was suddenly bashed open and four gunshots were fired. Two landed in each knee cap and the other bullets were lodged in her torso. The door was immediately slammed and locked shut. Eleanor was shaking and screaming because of the pain. A hissing sound came from the pipes as a white gas began to flood her cell. She scanned the room for an exit out of instinct, but she knew that she would never escape.

The exposure to the gas caused her to cough. She hacked and struggled to breath. Eleanor felt her body go limp, but not lifeless. She still had feeling in both her fingers and toes. Her mind was rushing with ideas, all of which had nothing to do with her escape. It was as if she was in some sort of haze.

Once the gas had cleared, the door reopened. Wounded and doped up, Eleanor did not put up a fight; she barely knew that she was being escorted out of her cell. The man, who had been at the window slate, stood before her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself." He hoisted her over his shoulder and slammed her down into a wheelchair. The other guards strapped her to the chair, binding her legs, wrist, and neck.

"You can call me Griggs."

He was the last thing she saw before she was blindfolded with a cloth. A mask, which obstructed her breathing was used in place of a muzzle. Uncomfortable and unable to see where she was going, Eleanor relied on her hearing. It was the only thing that comforted her while she was being escorted away from her cell and into the unknown.

Along the way, she heard the protest of multiple people. A grown man was telling a lady not to touch him. An animalistic snarl filled the air. A psychotic, female laugh was the noise that made Eleanor the most uncomfortable. She was trying to figure out if she was in a prison, an asylum, or a zoo.

The guards stopped her wheelchair from rolling, and that's when Eleanor internally panicked. A cold metal tool was applied to the skin of her neck and without a warning, a sharp pain shot into her skin. She let out a slight yelp before the guards continued to roll her away.

They wheeled her out into fresh air. Although she could not see it, Eleanor knew that she was outside. She could feel the breeze on her skin and the slight warmth of the sun through her clothes. The sound of a helicopter's main rotor blade spinning could be heard, and Eleanor knew that she was being transferred. Question was, where?

"Knock her out."

Before she could protest with the words ' _Wait, what'_ , she felt the back of a gun make contact with her skull and she was down for the count. It was not until she heard the drawl of a familiar southern accent did she reopen her eyes.

"Unlock 'em," the voice of none other than Colonel Rick Flag ordered.

A guard removed her blindfold first. Unable to shield her eyes from the brightness of the sun, radiant rays blurred her vision. She blinked continuously, attempting to adjust her vision to the new lighting. After four or five moments, she was able to finally see the courtyard filled with misfits. If she could have, Eleanor would have ran.

She plastered herself to the back fo the wheelchair, not all too excited to be unlocked. She flexed her arms against the binds and wiggled in her place. She watched as a woman was unstrapped from her wheelchair. She sprung up, her blonde pigtails bounced along with her.

"Hi, boys!" she greeted upon release. She stretched out her hand to the mass of military soldiers who appeared to be appalled by her presence. "Harley Quinn. How do ya' do?"

She paused for a moment, and stared at nothing in particular. "What was that?" she asked the air, "I should kill everyone and escape?" Harley turned to see confused expressions on everyone's face."Sorry," she apologized while tapping her head, "the voices."

A loud laugh erupted from her mouth causing the onlookers to grow uncomfortable. "I'm kidding!" she giggled out. "That's not what they really said."

On the other side of the court, soldiers were hauling in a large duffel bag. They dropped the bag once Rick Flag had made an approach for it. "Twelve pounds of shit in a ten pound sack," he remarked. A man busted out of the bag, swinging at the nearest officer. He fought every person who tried to contain him. "Welcome to the party, Captain Boomerang."

Rick restrained him against a pole. "Hey, hey, hey," he protested. "What's going on man?" Eleanor recognized his accent to be an Australian one. To her, he was quite hard to understand.

"Calm down," Flag ordered.

"Hey," _Captain Boomerang_ defended. "One minute I'm playing Mahjong with me nanna, then this red streak hits me outta nowhere!"

Flag was quick to cut off his bullshit. "Shut up!" he yelled. "You were caught robbing a diamond exchange."

The captain gasped as though he was offended by the colonel's accusations. "I was not!"

The guard undid the final strap which held Eleanor's legs to the wheelchair. She was instructed to rise from the chair, so she did. All of the bullets that were lodged in her skin pushed themselves out of her wounds. The bullets fell to the ground with an alarming clank.

When she was standing, the guard removed her muzzle,but as an extra precaution, he left her in the strait jacket. She was guided towards the group, three guards surrounding her, tasers in their hands.

On accident, a taser grazed her skin and Eleanor yelped. Her cry caused everyone in the surrounding area to develop a crippling headache. The crocodile man gave a loud growl, roaring in discomfort. Harley, the blonde from before, gripped her head and began to chant: "Ow, ow, ow". Flag was quick to stop Eleanor from inflicting any more pain. He pressed the silver button he had received from Amanda Waller.

She dropped to her knees, and screamed out an apology. "Stop," she shouted while unable to protect herself. "I'm sorry! I can't control it! I'm sorry!"

Flag continued to hold the button until he felt the pounding in his head stop. By the time he was done, Eleanor laid on the ground, her face planted to the cement, and her body shaking. Unsympathetically, a soldier hoisted her up by her shoulders, then pushed her towards Flag. Murmurs could be heard from not only the soldiers, but also the criminals.

"Did she do that?" Harley asked the tall, black man to her right.

"Listen up," Flag shouted to the recruited felons. "In your necks, is that injection you got. It's a nanite explosive. It's the size of a rice grain, but it's as powerful as a hand grenade. You disobey me, you die. You try to escape, you die. You otherwise irritate or vex me, and guess what?" He looked straight at Eleanor who was currently recovering. "You die!"

Harley raised her hand, "I'm known to be quite vexing. I'm just forewarning you."

"Lady," Flag yelled. "Shut up!"

He took a breath before continuing his speech, "This is the deal. You're going somewhere very bad to do something that'll get you kill. Until that happens, you're my problem."

The man next to Harley was the first to speak out, "So, was that like a pep talk?"

"Yeah," Flag responded sarcastically, "that was a pep talk. There's your shit." The colonel gestured to a few dark crates which lined the square. "Grab what you need for a fight. We're wheels up in ten."

The man tapped Rick on the shoulder. "You might wanna work on your team motivation thing," he suggested. "You heard of Phil Jackson?"

"Yeah."

"He's like the golden standard. Okay?" He held up his fingers to form a triangle. "Triangle, bitch. Study."

Eleanor couldn't believe that he had spoken so rudely without punishment. No shock, no threats, it was like he didn't care that he had a bomb in his neck. She wish that she had the balls to talk back. She had been so afraid of receiving another shock that if Rick would have asked her to jump, she would have responded with _how high_!

Eleanor stood with her mouth agape and in a daze. Amanda Waller's words continued to play in her head like a broken record: _I'm assembling a team, one that I think can do some real good in this world._ She glanced around.

The only things these people were good at was either stealing or killing. Eleanor could only describe herself as being surrounded by hoodlums. A crocodile man who appeared to be more animal than human. An Aussie who needed a good shower and a trip to the dentist. A tall, black man who seemed to be both sarcastic and resistant. A crazy, white lady. A man who could apparently climb anything. And finally, a guy whose face was decorated with one too many tattoos.

If Amanda Waller thought that this team of misfits could do anything good, then she was crazier than Harley.

"Harley Quinn, nice to meetcha!" a Brooklyn accent proclaimed. Her hand was shoved into Eleanor's face, indicating that she wanted a handshake.

 _Speak of the devil_ , Eleanor thought as she stared at the odd woman.

Harley Quinn was not a foreign name to Eleanor. It was all she heard on the news when she started high school. Allegedly, she was working as a doctor at Arkham asylum when she fell in love with the Joker. A few kids in her class had done their psychology projects on her.

"Eleanor Darling," she hesitated. "You can call me Lennie."

The two sat for a moment, just staring at each other. Eleanor looked at Harley's hand and Harley wondered why Eleanor was waiting so long to shake her hand. The woman glanced down, and realized that Eleanor was tightly wrapped in a strait jacket. She let out a giggle.

"Let me get cha out of that."

By the way Harley worked Eleanor out of the restraints, she knew that she had done it before, once or a hundred times. She undid the binds in mere seconds. Harley pulled Eleanor's arm out of the sleeves, and the teenager was actually able to breath. She lifted her arms to stretch her shoulders.

"Thank you," she thanked gratefully that she could crack her back.

"I like you," Harley declared as she moved to rummaged through her chest of was happy that she liked her. She rather be liked by a psycho than loathed by one."How old are ya' sweetie?" Harley asked while messing around with a gun from her possessions chest.

"Seventeen."

"You know, you're a real looker; and I like that hair of yours too."

Eleanor took a hold of one of her messy, untamed dutch braids. She had plaited her hair while in the facility, perhaps a week or two ago. She never was really allowed to wash her hair. So, her curls had knotted together to form an unpleasant texture.

"Thanks," she replied wondering if Harley was making fun of her hair or actually being genuine.

"Don't thank me," she replied as she pulled out a blue and red corset. "Thank ya' parents for those beautiful genes."

The word _parents_ caused Eleanor to experience a sinking feeling in her chest. With all the chaos, she had completely forgotten about her parents and the fact that she didn't know if they were alive or not. The back of her throat began to burn; the familiar sensation told her that she was about to cry. In order to keep the tears at bay, she decided to change the subject.

"Do you actually hear voices," she blurted out without thinking.

"What?" Harley responded. She glanced around as though someone other than Eleanor had spoken to her. When she finally turned back to the teenager, she smiled and giggled. "You want some gum?"

Awkwardly, Eleanor took the gum from her. She gestured 'thank you' with a nod before popping the stick of gum in her mouth. She chewed it mindlessly. Despite the lack of taste, she enjoyed the simplicity of chewing gum. It was a luxury that she had not experienced in almost two years.

"I like you tattoos," Eleanor complimented, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the silence that had grown between them.

Harley gasped with pleasure. "Thank you! Ya' know how people say they hurt?"

"They don't?"

"Oh, no, they do. Like a bitch. But after two or three, you get over it," she giggled. "Have you ever thought about getting one?"

Eleanor nodded. Like any common teenager, she had thought about getting one countless times. She had also considered getting piercings and dying her hair, but she was not exactly the _rebellious_ type. Her parents told her from a young age that she was not allowed to have anything done. It didn't matter that both her mother and father had tattoos, and her mother had dyed her hair on more than one occasion.

The man, who she had overheard one of the guards calling "Deadshot", retrieved a white mask and a suit from his trunk of items. He firmly gripped the mask in his left hand; he massaged the material in between his fingers. He stared at the thing as though it had some greater meaning than just being a mask.

"Won't fit anymore?" Harley teased, "Too much junk in the trunk?"

He gave a weak laugh before he shook his head 'no'. "Nah. Every time I put this on, somebody dies."

"And?" she asked as she coated her lips with a cherry red lipstick. She chucked the cosmetic tube before reaching for something else.

"I like putting it on."

She swung a wooden mallet around and replied, "Goody!"

Eleanor found herself in an uncomfortable position. While these heathens actually enjoyed killing people, she could barely contain her vomit after committing murder. It was as if they found death to be some after school activity or sport.

"You don't think we are going to be killing a lot of people do you?" she asked the group. Everyone could tell that she was nervous because she was fiddling with her thumbs and pulling on her prison suit.

Deadshot chuckled. "And where'd they pick you up from?" He asked, "Kindergarten?"

Obviously offended, she crossed her arms and replied, "I'm seventeen. I think that's a little old for Kindergarten, don't you think?"

Deadshot seemed to be taken aback by her response and not because she had been sassy with her reply. He had only been teasing; he did not realize that this _girl_ was actually anything less than twenty. He had assumed that she was one of those " _baby face"_ women who still get carded at their local club.

"I don't think that's right," the tattooed man, El Diablo said. He seemed to be the most bothered about the fact that she was under-aged. "No kid should get involved in this mess."

"I didn't really have a choice."

Captain Boomerang laughed. "What did you do to get lock up? Ya' steal money for a durry or did you take some candy from a baby?" He was chuckling at his own little jokes, not knowing that the real reason Eleanor was with these criminals was because of much worse.

"I protected my Dad," she gulped out. Eleanor did not feel the need to say exactly what she had done or what had happened. That was her business, not theirs.

"By what?" the Aussie teased, "Giving people headaches?"

Eleanor became flustered. "No," she spat out, "I...um."

She was about to say something when she saw a pink stuffed animal jetting out from his trench coat. "Is that a pink unicorn?" She questioned obviously confused why this thirty-something year old man had a stuffed animal in his jacket.

Defensively he tucked the unicorn away as snarled at the girl. "Don't look at it, ya' ankle biter!"

"Yo, leave her alone," Diablo shouted, getting in front of the girl.

Captain Boomerang stared at the man, squinting his eyes. He wasn't threatened by Diablo. The Mexican gangster was clearly shorter and skinnier than he was. "What's that crap on your face?" He insulted. "Does it wash off?"

"Hey, if you like a girl, can you light her cigarette with your pinkie?" Harley asked, showing off her little finger. "Because that would be real classy."

"Hey, ya'll might wanna leave old boy alone. He could torch this whole joint. Ain't that right, ese?" Deadshot said.

Eleanor took a few steps back. She regarded Deadshot's comment as a warning. If this man could really torch the place, she was a dead woman. Sure, she could heal, but she doubted she could revive herself from a cremation. Diablo saw her back away out of the corner of his eye. _She was afraid of him…_

"Ain't got nothing to worry about from me," Diablo reassured. It was as if he was speaking to her more than he was speaking to Deadshot. "I'm cool, homie."

The group was interrupted by their " _leader"_ , Colonel Flag. He turned on a device, like an Ipad, so that the group could see Amanda Waller's face. If Eleanor was not angry before, she was angry now. "Behold the voice of god."

"For those of you who don't know me officially, my name is Amanda Waller. There's an active terrorist event in Midway City. I want you to enter the city, rescue HVT-1 and get them to safety."

"I'm sorry," Deadshot interrupted. "For those of us who don't speak good guy, what is HVT-1?"

"The only person that matters in the city. The one person you can not kill. Complete the mission, you get time off your prison sentence. Fail the mission, you die."

On cue, Flag pulled out a handgun and pointed it to the youngest member of the squad, Eleanor. Her eyes grew wide, and she put her hands up in defense.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up man!" Deadshot protested.

The bullet was shot before anyone could react. It hit her in the center of her forehead, propelling her back. Eleanor's body jerked as it fell to the ground. The group watched on in disgust, fear, and astonishment. A bullet hole was easily seen on her forehead. Her eye were lifeless. Eleanor laid on the concrete, dead, and soon to be a forgotten corpse.

* * *

 **Hello!** _Thank you for all those who reviewed, followed, and favorited last chapter. This chapter, Corpse, has been the longest chapter I have ever written for any fanfiction ever, but I also have to say that it is my favorite chapter for a fanfiction that I have ever written. Hopefully, all of you enjoyed the chapter as much as I did when I wrote and reread it._

 **Question of the Week:** _What would you like to see in upcoming chapters?_


	4. Defect

Chapter IV

 _ **D**_ _efect_

The voice of God had been heard but not well received: **Complete the mission, you get time off your sentence. Fail the mission, you die.** Amanda Waller's second statement had not been a bluff or threat, but a promise. The team had seen the first death before the mission had even begun.

The youngest member of Task Force X, Eleanor, currently had a bullet lodged in her forehead. That did not sit well with the felons. Each one of them were considered criminals, that was true, but as humans, they had morals. Shooting a defenseless teenage girl went against those morals.

The sound of the fatal gunshot lingered in the air, reminding everyone that they were pawns in Waller's game. Unfortunately, Eleanor had been the first pawn knocked off the chessboard.

Deadshot, Floyd Lawton, was the first in the group to react. Saying that he was angered by the lethal shot would be an understatement. He was furious. It didn't matter if Colonel Flag was following the commands of Amanda Waller. He willingly killed a girl.

Floyd felt his fist clench and his expression twist. Having a daughter, he did not view Eleanor Darling as a criminal. He saw her as a seventeen year old girl who had been robbed of her life. She was someone's child.

Anger got the best of him. Before Floyd could think, his fist flew towards Rick. Shouts from the others did not stop him, but someone's hand did. Diablo, Chato Santana, gripped his bicep and held his arm in place. Once in his grasp, Chato pulled the man closer to him, and away from the colonel.

"You've lost your shit," Deadshot shouted at Flag as Chato pulled him back.

"He has that button, homie," he reminded Floyd as he attempted to get him under control. Deadshot tried to pull away. He was frustrated that someone had stopped him from beating Rick to death.

"He shot 'er," Captain Boomerang, Digger, stated. "Imagine what 'e'll do to us."

Chato had to agree. Although he was as upset as Deadshot, he knew it was wise not to act with anger. If they were willing to gun down a little girl, they would be willing to dispose of adults. Beating Rick would only get them all killed, and it wouldn't serve justice for Eleanor. She was dead. Nothing was going to bring her back.

Floyd continued to fight against Chato, cursing under his breath. Rick was standing across from him, holding the surface device, a smug look on his face. Deadshot had killed numerous individuals in his lifetime, but never women and children. This man called himself a soldier, but deserved the title of killer.

"I say kill 'em," Harley growled out, pounding her bat against her hand.

The surrounding guards became alert at her statement. Their guns were up in an instant, ready to shoot any Task Force member who attempted to harm Flag. Killer Croc snarled at the men who had suddenly become a threat. Although he frightened them, the soldiers did not move from their post. They feared the wrath of Amanda Waller over the growls over an animalistic human.

"Or not," Harley said placing her hands up in the air; her bat was still being held in her left palm.

"If anything happens to Colonel Flag," Amanda warned from the screen. "I'll kill every single one of you. Remember, I'm watching. I see everything."

The screen went black, and the voice of God ended.

"There's your pep talk," Flag stated. He placed the device into a pouch on his left side.

"Compared to your shit, she killed it," Deadshot snarled. Feeling that he was stable enough, Chato let go of him. He walked closer to Flag, a foot from his face. "So that's it? What, we some kind of Suicide Squad?"

"I'll notify your next of kin," came his sarcastic reply. He looked down to check his watch, as though he was waiting for something. His focus shifted from the hitman's face to the corpse on the ground.

"What you just witnessed was a warning," Flag announced to the group. "You see now that failure isn't an option if you plan to get out of this alive."

A gasp for breath halted the commotion. Harley lowered her hands. Chato felt the burning of his skin subside. Rick peered down at his watch.

Right on time, he mused in his mind. Only took her five minutes.

Everyone turned to see that Eleanor's eyes were wide, and she was indeed breathing. Her hand was over the left side of her chest as though her heart was in pain. Her opposite hand searched for the hole that should have been in her head, yet it was not there. The bullet had dislodge itself from her brain, and was laying on the concrete.

"What. The. Bloody. Hell," Digger gasped out.

She sat herself up, barely able to breath, and stared at the group. "You shot me," she coughed out. Her index finger was pointed at Flag. "You fucking shot me!"

Eleanor paused with wide eyes. She placed her hands over her mouth as though her words had tainted the very lips they had escaped. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I swear my mom taught me never to curse."

"What. The. Hell," Digger repeated. His mouth, like everyone else's, was agape. He watched as the girl, who resurrected, stood and walked over to Flag.

"I'm not the only one seeing this, right?" Harley asked, but was never granted a reply.

Eleanor strutted past Deadshot and Diablo, and stood before the colonel. She took a deep breath in order to calming herself.

He had to know, she thought, he had to know I would survive. Why else would he shoot me?

The more she thought about it, the more she tried to convince herself that Rick knew she would come back to life. She wanted to believe she was an example, an attempt to scare the others. A small part of her held a doubt; she doubted that he knew she would survive, that he shot her on a theory.

They want to use you, she thought bitterly. And they will abuse you.

Collected and calm, she spoke, "Listen," she hissed out, "I took a leap of faith and trusted that God of yours. So far, I been tased, electrocuted, starved, and drugged. I could kill you, and everyone in this place, yet I haven't. So, if you would like to stay alive, I wouldn't try anything dumb like that again."

Her face was stern and her words were final. That did not seem to faze Flag. He eyed her like he eyed the rest of the group. She was a criminal, who he had to use. Until she died or the mission was completed, she was his problem. Of course, he had been informed of her abilities, but Amanda had said each of these criminals had a leverage. Eleanor was no exception.

He expanded a video on his device and turned it so that Eleanor could see. It was footage of her father. He was sitting in a cell, wrapped in a strait jacket, alone in solitary. His conditions and mental state seemed poor. He sat on the poor excuse for a bed, staring at nothing in particular.

"That's live," Rick stated to the baffled teenager. "Your parents are alive and if you would like it to stay that way," he said using her own line against her, "then I wouldn't try threatening me again. You work for me. Keep your mouth shut, obey orders, and you get to see daddy."

"I'm not some weapon that you can order around!" She had been hesitant to shout at him. She feared for the life of her father...and of her mother. He hadn't provided footage of her mom, and that either meant that her conditions were worse or she was dead.

"I'm a person," Eleanor sobbed out. She was on the brink of tears.

I'm a person, she repeated in her mind. The more she pondered over the thought, the more she felt like a thing instead of a human.

"I don't give a damn what you are," he replied coldly. "You're a criminal just like the rest of them, and you work for me." He backed away from her. "Wheels up in three," he told the rest of the crew. Flag walked over towards the chopper and prepared to board. "Alpha, Bravo team. Mount up."

Eleanor began to shake. She didn't know if it was from shock, anger, or fear, but she was shaking vigorously. She suddenly grew weak in the knees and would have fallen if it wasn't for Diablo catching her.

"Are you okay?"

He noticed that she was still breathing heavy, as though her lungs were not working properly. She would take in large breaths which caused her to sound hoarse. She gripped onto his shirt to stabilize herself. She muttered an almost silent yeah to reassure Chato of her welling being.

"She just came back to fuckin' life!" Captain Boomerang shouted.

No one wanted to seem insensitive, but all of them wanted to ask questions. This girl had just resurrected as though she was the second coming of Christ. Where they suppose to dismiss it because she in an emotional state or could they ask questions? Harley wanted to know what it was like to die. Chato wanted to know how it was possible. Digger thought that maybe the entire thing was a stunt to scare them.

"Let's get you seated and strapped in, okay?"

She shook her head. "I"m not getting in that thing!" Eleanor pointed at the glorified helicopter. "Not after what just happened. He shot me!" Eleanor shouted her last line as though no one had seen her die minutes ago.

"Come on!" Harley said, linking her arm with the teenagers. "It'll be fun." She leaned into Eleanor's ear. "You won't have to worry about him doing shit to you ever again."When she pulled back, she sent Eleanor a wink. "Do you mind?"

Diablo received her hint and released the girl into Harley's custody.

As the two walked off, Digger shouted once more, "Is no one gonna talk about the fact that she came back to life?" Like before, he was ignored. The shocked team proceeded to collect their final items before boarding the helicopter.

"Heaven or Hell?" Harley randomly blurted out as she strapped Eleanor to the seat.

"What?" Eleanor asked as she wiped her eyes of surfacing tears.

"When you died, did ya' go up or down?"

This hadn't been the first time she was asked an absurd question about death. In her life, Eleanor had died a total of five times, and if she counted today's occurrence, it would make six. Each occurrence was different. The worst had been death by starvation; it had been a slow and painful process.

She remembered the first time she died, she had been disappointed. There were no lights or angels, and definitely no heaven awaiting her. There was only darkness along with a constant pounding in her head and a throbbing in her fingertips.

"I didn't see anything," Eleanor said in a lower whisper. Her eyes were closed as she imagined each situation. "I was warm in a dark space with no light available. There was no heaven, no hell. It was dark and peaceful."

"I knew it!" Harley declared before taking a long pause. Eleanor stared at her, wondering what the woman knew that she didn't. "There's no god."

"I didn't die, Harley!" She quickly retorted.

"Your heart stopped beating and ya' were laying out on the court yard with your tongue hanging out. A minute longer and you could have been buried." She let out a soft giggle with her statement.

Eleanor knew that Harley did not mean disrespect. She was trying to make a depressing topic light-hearted, and it worked. The teenager's lips twitched into a small smile. It was something that she had not done in a while. Not since she had seen the sun for the first time in a year.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you, Harley."

Harley snapped Eleanor's seat belt shut, and took her seat across from her on the helicopter. By this time, the rest of the team decided to pile into the flying vehicle. Each one of their faces had a different expression when it came to seeing Eleanor. Chato glanced at her with pity. Deadshot looked at her with concern. Slipknot stared at her as though she were a freak. Killer Croc nodded his head in acknowledgement of her. The captain sat next to her, not being subtle when he stared at her.

"Touch me," she hissed out, "and I'll give you an aneurysm."

Digger was taken aback. He didn't know the full extent of her powers yet, so either she was bluffing or being serious. "Why are ya so rude. I ain't botherin' ya'."

Narrowing her eyes, she said something that seemed to insult him. "I can't understand you." It wasn't a lie. She hated his Australian accent. It sounded like he was gargling marbles while attempting to do a Steve Irwin impression.

"You're late," Rick's country accent called out.

An Asian woman with a mask hopped onto the helicopter before it could take off. Her hand was on a samurai sword as she made her way from the entrance of the vehicle. She muttered something to Rick in Japanese; she then surveyed the group of felons. Eleanor felt uncomfortable with the presences of this new member. She wasn't found of sharp objects.

"This is Katana," Rick introduced. "She's got my back. She can cut all of you in half with one sword stroke, just like mowing the lawn. I would advise not getting killed by her. Her sword traps the souls of it's victims."

 _Great, she's on his side_ , Eleanor sarcastically thought.

His comments about her sword did not put Eleanor at ease. There were only two things that could kill her: decapitation and disembowelment. If she completely lost an organ, she could not recreate it. If her head was severed, she couldn't grow a new body. She had found that out the hard way.

"Harley Quinn, nice to meet ya'," Harley hollered out as she presented a hand for Katana to shake. "Love your perfume. What is that? The stench of death?" She let out a laugh at her own joke.

Katana hissed something in Japanese. "Easy cowgirl," Rick said. "Ain't that kind of mission. Have a seat."

Harley turned to Deadshot with a pleased expression, "She seems nice."

The helicopter took off shortly after Katana's arrival. Still in pain, and needing to complete her healing process, Eleanor rested her head on the back of the seat. She closed her eyes. Eleanor could hear her heartbeat bump along with the rush of the blood in her veins. She felt the cells separate at duplicate; she could feel every repair.

An unfamiliar voice chimed in her ear. It was deep, and husky; it caused a shiver to run down her spine.

Her eyes shot open and she glared at the Australian man sitting next to her. "Stop playing with me," she said to him.

Clearly upset, Captain Boomerang was quick to reply, "I didn't do anything to ya'!"

The voice spoke again, but it did not come from the lips of Digger. "Do you hear that?" She asked him as her eyes searched the room for the person who spoke out.

"Wha'?" Captain Boomerang replied.

She was quick to shush him as she listened diligently. The voice continue to speak and it's cold in the low whisper. She had heard this voice before. I had spoken a word or two to her before. But she couldn't remember what it was. She couldn't recognize where she had originally heard closed her eyes, and it hit her. The familiar buzzing and ringing noises began to surround her. A vision was entering her mind, one that was not her own. The language began to unravel itself; it was being translated.

"Help me," it whispered. "Come."

Under her breath, Eleanor whispered one word, "Enchantress."

 _"Shit."_

It had been so unexpected that all Digger could say was _shit._ He had muttered the cuss word under his breath as he tried his best to support the teenage girl whose eyes had rolled into the back of her head. Eleanor's head hit the back of the seat and her body began to stiffen. Her lips began to move and a voice whispered, but that voice did not belong to to Eleanor. It spoke in an accent language, deep and demonic like.

 _I did not sign up for this demon shit_ , the Captain thought as the voice uttered its chants.

He peered up to see that the others had not realized the girl's behavioral change. To them, it looked as though she had fallen asleep. Harley had her face plastered to the window, experiencing the outside scenery. Deadshot was resting his head against the wall, eyes closed, and holding his gun to his body. Flag, who was suppose to be supervising them, seemed lost in his own world.

 _Shit. Shit. Shit._

The only member of Task Force X, other than Digger, who seemed to notice was Killer Croc. Eleanor had been sandwiched between the Captain and Croc, Digger to her right and Waylon to her left. Killer Croc, although not too concerned, did appear to be alarmed. He was staring at the girl who was obviously not herself.

"Look at the pretty lights!" Harley said to the rest of the crew. Her face was against the window, looking to the outside world. There were flashing lights, swirling clouds, and a dark sky that was odd see during the day time. Lightning sparks were omitted from something that appeared to look like a tornado.

 _What the hell?_ Floyd thought as he saw the chaos they were flying into. This looked like a town that they should be deserting, not entering.

"Are you guys seein' this?" Harley gawked in awe.

"Can you explain that?" Deadshot asked.

The soldier brushed it off as if seeing a swirling tornado was an everyday even. "Terror attack," he lied. "Dirty bombs, bad guys shooting up the place with AKS. You know, the usual shit."

Deadshot was not buying any of the bullshit Flag was trying to sell. A terrorist attack, as tragic as one could be, did not cause a tornado or lightning. The clouds in the sky should not be swirling. It should definitely not be dark in the middle of the day. Whatever they were about to face was not _normal._

"Um," Digger tried to intervene their conversation. He struggled to bring up the fact that the girl sitting next to him was most likely possessed. The Captain was holding her against the chair so that her body, which was now limp, would not fall forward. As usual, he was ignored.

"You're a bad liar. I don't know if they told you but I'm a hit-man," Deadshot informed Flag. "I'm not a fireman. I don't save people."

Flag let out a hysterical laugh, "Anything for a dollar right?"

"You know the dark places too. Don't act like you don't!"

Flag was offended and was quick to defend himself. "I'm a soldier, and you're a serial killer who takes credit cards. When the shooting starts...and it will. You'll cut and run!"

The two were about to recreate the scene at Belle Reve; a scene that would not be favorable for anyone. Deadshot's fists were clenched and everyone knew that he was ready to punch the daylights out of Flag. If Deadshot harmed a hair on their _"leader's"_ head, Task Force X would be sent home in body bags. If it wasn't for Captain Boomerang yelling a loud _"Oi"_ , the two men would have had a brawl out on the helicopter.

"Oi," Captain Boomerang called. For the first time, he was successful in catching the attention of someone. "Your kid has a some sort of defect."

* * *

 **Hello!** _Thank you so much for reading! This story had been undergoing many changes so I am combining previous chapters with later chapters. So, if you feel like you are reading content from the past, you are! Trust me, you have not gone crazy!_

 **Question of the Week:** _If you had to pair Eleanor with anyone, romantic or not, who would you see her with?_


	5. Futures

Chapter V

 _ **F**_ _utures_

Flag made a mad dash towards Eleanor, who was currently whispering under her breath. Her words were foreign and certainly demonic. They resembled the same language the Enchantress spoke when she inhabited June's body. That did not provide the colonel with comfort.

"Hey," he shouted to the teenager. When she did not respond, Flag took a hold of her shoulders and shook them lightly. He needed to break whatever spell she was under. He thought the simple shake had been successful. She stopped chanting and her eyes rolled closed. Maybe he had ended the possession.

Flag was wrong.

"Enchantress," her unconscious body uttered out.

Rick was taken aback. His nails dug deep into her shoulders and he began to shake her body more and more. That name...was she currently seeing the Enchantress? Did she know if June was alright.

"What did you say?" He asked her while forcefully moving her body back and forth. He wanted to make sure he had heard her right. He need to know if Eleanor had any connection to the Enchantress. He needed to know if he could get June back.

"Stop," Harley shouted from behind him. He was moving her with so much force, Harley was sure her head would snap off her neck like a broken barbie doll. "She can't hear you!"

Desperate, he looked at Harley. "What did she just say?"

As if on cue, Eleanor's lips opened. Her unconscious body spoke once again, "Enchantress." That was the last time she spoke before she became silent for several minutes. Rick continued to shake her, but that approach seemed to be in vain.

Lennie had been transported into a dark vision, one that was not her own. She felt ethereal and airy, as though she were floating on the clouds. The foreign language, that had been translated for her moment before, surrounded her. The unknown words filled her ears as they tried to shout for help; she called out but her voice was never heard. The vision prohibited her from moving, speaking or controlling her actions.

An usual, but familiar, sound replaced the demonic speaking. A combination of enchanted bells and the buzzing heard from bees rang. With the blink of an eye, an odd woman, who Eleanor remembered seeing before, appeared. The woman's name rolled off her tongue as though it was second nature.

"Enchantress," she said, barely audible.

The dark witch walked closer to the girl, her hand reaching to graze her cheek. When she spoke, Eleanor was surprised to understand the strange language leaving her lips. "You follow those who have enslaved you," she said. Her palm rested on the girl's skin.

"Child," she whispered, "I know what you want."

The darkness began to dissolve along with the image of the Enchantress. The scenery of dark space was replaced with a bright room. Lennie was seated on an old, discolored couch; she remembered this couch. Her mother had bought it from a flea market because she loved the vintage patterns. Over the years of seating countless individuals, the couch had become warned down . It begged to be thrown out. Her mother, Pauline, would scream and plead when Eleanor's father said he was sending it to the dump.

"I bought that couch with my own money," she would holler, "I love that couch!"

A happy wife led to a happy home, and her father would always give in. He would wait three or four months before saying that it was a piece of garbage and needed to be tossed. The entire process of kicking, screaming, and begging would begin again. Pauline always kept the stupid couch.

Lennie had always hated this ugly couch, but for some reason, she felt like she was in love with it. It was something familiar, something from the past. This couch was before the doctors, before the testing, before Amanda Waller. This couch was apart of her home. This couch had been bought by her mother.

She ran her fingers over the nineteen-seventies flower print and let out a sigh. This was her mama's couch. Her mama that she would never see again.

A smell filled her nostrils and she recognized it as French Toast. Oh, did she love french toast; it had always been her favorite breakfast meal as a kid. Her mother would make on Saturday mornings. The smell...the couch...the lights. Eleanor glanced around. She was in shock at what she saw. She was in her childhood home, in the living room.

"Baby doll, ya' look pale in the face."

That east coast accent sounded so similar to Harley's, but so different.

Eleanor glanced up to see her mother holding a plate of breakfast in one hand. It took a second or two for her to realize that her mom, living and breathing, was standing in front of her. The concerned expression on her face and her brows were raised as though she was expecting an answer. Oh, it was all so familiar, and so right.

"Mama," she cried out before wrapping her arms around the woman. It had been nearly two years since she hugged her mother. It was too good to be true. "Mama," she sobbed as she buried her face into the her mother's apron. How dumb she felt, nuzzling her mother's stomach at her age; but she didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that her mother was alive.

"Baby?" she questioned. "Oh don't cry, Ellie." Pauline bent down to her daughter's level and wiped away the tears that tainted her cheeks. Eleanor couldn't help but continue her pity party. She kept crying even though her mother hushed her and attempted to sooth her.

"I'm so happy," she sobbed out.

Pauline smiled and placed the plate on the ground next to Eleanor's feet. She took her child's face in both hands and kissed her forehead. "Baby, is this what makes you happy? Is this what you want?" Eleanor nodded silently. "Then you have to help her."

"Who?" Eleanor asked, begging her mother to reveal the solution to her sorrows.

"The Enchantress. She is the only solution. She is the reason I am here," she paused for a moment, "If you go to her, help her, she can bring me to you. Bring your father too you."

Lennie was so happy to see her mother that she did not notice how strand her mother was acting. Normally, she would not kiss her on the forehead or sweet talk her to stop her from crying. Pauline Darling was a loving but stern mother. She had had a hard life growing up and wanted her daughter to know that she would not be spoiled. If Eleanor cried, she would tell her that mistakes happened for reason. That she needed to suck it up and move on. She also didn't catch that Pauline had called her Ellie, something she rarely did. She had always called her _"Lennie"_ , the nickname her father gave her when she was young.

Too happy to realize the Enchantress was playing with her emotions, Eleanor complied. What was the difference between helping the Enchantress and Waller. Both seemed to be evil, one required less killing. If her mother said she needed to find the Enchantress, she would do just that. Anything that put her family back together was her top priority.

"Mama, I-"

The jiggle of keys were heard and Lennie stopped talking. She turned towards the front door in order to see who was coming in. She saw the shadow of a person, someone tall, standing on the other side of the glass entrance. The last sound she heard was the sound of _that someone_ unlocking the front door. Her mother muttered the name of her father.

Unfortunately, Eleanor did not see her father's face. The vision had faded away so quick and sudden. She had exited the vision with a jolt. The disconnection had proved to be both painful and disappointing. She felt a tug at her soul, as if someone was pulling her body in half. Her head began to pound, and she felt as though she would vomit.

All the symptoms stopped when she opened her eyes. She came face to face with Amanda Waller's glorified soldier, Colonel Rick Flag. His nails were dug into her shoulders, causing her pain. He was shaking her back and forth; perhaps that is why she had felt the need to vomit.

"Is that resurrection shit suppose to have side effects?" Deadshot asked to Rick, who hadn't realized that Eleanor had regained consciousness.

"She's done it five time before," he replied in a panic, "there wasn't any records of this."

Rick had become fearful. What if the Enchantress had killed off June and decided to possess Eleanor. Neither he or Waller could risk having Eleanor possessed. Imagine, the amount of power the Enchantress would have if she could kill everyone at will. What if he had lost June forever? She was the reason that Rick put up with this felon shit. If he did not get her back, he wouldn't be able to live.

"Ya' just had to get a defective kid," Digger complained.

Harley growled, "Shut up!"

"We aren't fighting terrorist," - Eleanor whispered with her head down - "are we?"

In a slow manner, she raised her head so that she could look into Rick's eyes. His eyes widened and she knew he had lied to them. "You're a liar."

"I don't know how long you've been locked up in the Loony Bin, but talking crazy could get you into a lot of trouble." He made an attempt to insult her to cover up his lies. That was a huge mistake.

"First, I wasn't in a "Loony Bin"," she retorted.

Eleanor did not take kindly to the fact that the colonel had insulted her and denied the fact that he had lied. The Enchantress had shown her what she wanted. If Amanda Waller wasn't going to help her, then the Enchantress would.

"I wouldn't do anything stupid," he warned her. "Remember we have your parents."

"The Enchantress can retrieve them for me."

"Who?" Harley asked in the back.

Flag realized that the witch bitch had been messing with her head. She had probably whispered sweet nothings into her ear. Told her that she could help her, that Amanda was using her. She might have shown her what she wanted to see: her parents. It was true, he had not been truthful with the task force. But, Rick knew that he was more trustworthy than the Enchantress. Eleanor would be a powerful ally to the witch, an ally he could not afford to lose.

"Whatever the hell she told you is wrong. She is trying to get inside of your head. She knows that you are young and emotional -"

Rick stopped abruptly. His lungs felt like they were collapsing and panic set in. The lack of air drove him to start gasping, breathing as if the oxygen had been sucked from the air around him. He doubled over and then fell to his knees, one hand on the ground to support his weight.

"I am not emotional!" She screamed as he continued to suffer on the ground.

The remaining soldiers raised their guns. Seconds later, the same pain inflicted on Rick was then inflicted on them. She turned to look at them, obviously pissed that any of them would even consider shooting her. When Katana pulled out her sword of souls, Eleanor wasn't even fazed. She gave the woman the same facial expression that she had given everyone else who opposed her.

"Don't fuck with me."

This time she did not apologize for her language. This time she did not care. She had finally gone of the deep end, and it was going to take a lot of convincing to reel her back in. Lennie would do anything in her power to get her parents back. Two years was a long time to wait. In those terrible two years she had experienced torture unthinkable. She was done being innocent. She was finished with being patience. She sure as hell was no longer playing nice. Eleanor learned and understood that if she wanted something, she would have to kill for it. Kill without remorse.

"Whoa," Deadshot shouted with his hands up as he approached Eleanor. "I know you've been through alot. This is a lot to handle. But, if he dies...we die."

"I won't."

He hesitated before nodding his head, "Yes...I'm aware. But, listen. I will die, and so will they." He gestured to the rest of the squad who actually cared about their lives.

"Stop hurting him and I promise you we will complete this mission and you will go home. I swear to you that you will get to see your parents again. I swear on my life."

A tear slid down her face, and she debated on whether killing Rick was worth it.

"A little girl shouldn't be kept from her family," Deadshot added. "But it's your call."

Deciding that it wasn't worth it, she allowed Rick to breathe, along with the other military crew. She then reversed the damage she had done to their internal organs. Eleanor found it painful to reverse the damage, but they would die if she didn't. She would loved to see Rick die from lung and kidney failure, but they had a mission to complete. She chose to be unselfish and protect the lives of Task Force X.

To her surprise, Rick did not punish Eleanor with a shock or bullet to the head. Instead, he sat back down and attempted to regulate his breathing.

"Don't ever," he huffed out, "do that -"

Before he could finish, the helicopter was shot out the sky. The crew began to scream as the vehicle descended.

"Six-one is going down!" The pilot shouted into the communicator. "Six-one is going down hard!"

 _Grab something, Lennie._

Eleanor continued to chant that phrase in her head, but she remained immobilized. The descent of the helicopter had caused her to fall hard to the metal flooring. Upon contact, she landed on her back and a painful pulsating sensation developed in her spine.

In all the ways she had died, Eleanor never fathomed that a plane crash would end her for good. She had been drowned, strangled, and starved to death. After her first resurrection, her fear of death had diminished. Yet here she was, scared that she was going to die. Her stomach clenched from her nervousness.

Lennie rolled herself over onto her stomach in an attempt to stabilize herself. The falling helicopter tipped back and Eleanor's body slid down the vacant aisle.

 _Grab something!_

Harley let go of the structure she had been holding onto. She dropped to her left hip and slid down past Rick and Floyd to catch Eleanor. She took hold of the girl's flailing wrist with her left hand and held onto the bottom of a seat leg with her left. Eleanor's body painfully jerked as her descent ended.

Harley's lips separated to ask if the girl was okay, but she was cut off before she could even mutter a word. The helicopter made contact with the ground and rolled. The spinning vehicle made Eleanor nauseous. She struggled not to vomit during the crash. As abrupt as it had all begun, they stopped moving.

The crew and task force all seemed to be shaken from the crash. Flag glanced around to make sure that everyone was still alive. "Stand by," he spoke into his decide as he looked around. Once he decided that everything was good, he spoke once again. "Drop the ramp."

The helicopter's ramp dropped with a thud, and the group made a mad dash to leave the vehicle. Harley hopped out with a smile on her face and a raised bat in her hand. "What a ride!" She exclaimed as though the group had just ridden a roller coaster at a local theme park.

Harley held her hand out for the small, but not helpless, Eleanor. She was a tad too short to step off the ramp without having to jump. Lennie took her hand gratefully as she hopped to the ground.

"Thanks," she said lowly, still a little shocked from the crash.

Colonel Flag was standing off to the side, watching as everyone exited. He spoke into his communication device to assure the team back home that everyone was alright.

"We're okay," he reassured "We're okay." He paused to look at the members of Task Force X. Everyone to be alive and unharmed, for the most part.

"Assets are undamaged."

 _Assets,_ Lennie scuffed in her mind. The word made her sick to her stomach. _Are we just assets and not people?_

The thought angered her, and for a moment, she regretted not killing Flag in her previous fit of rage. The regret astonished her. Eleanor Darling was not a murderer. She did not enjoy killing or harming anyone. If it wasn't for her abilities, she wouldn't even harm a fly. Yet, here she was, think about how much she wanted to kill a man. It would be so easy, anger and hate caused her powers to intensify.

The had to stop herself. When had so become a person who did not care about another individual. Was it because he shot her? Was it because she was lied to? Eleanor felt as if she was losing herself; she felt as if she was become a heathen.

Under all her hateful thoughts, she convinced herself she still had a heart. She told herself that she would not do anything to Flag, even if it was just to protect the others. Murdering Rick would led to the deaths of all the task force members. While she did not care about Slipknot and Captain Boomerang, the others had been kind.

Deadshot had a daughter; a daughter who would need him some day. Harley, though crazy, seemed to have a kind heart. Eleanor was sure that she had someone who loved her. Whether that someone was a child, a mother, or a lover, she knew that Harley just had to have a _someone. A someone_ who missed her dearly. She did not know much about Diablo or Croc, but who was she to take their lived away.

Even if she did not like Flag, Lennie could not and would not take away their futures.

* * *

 **Hello!** _Thank you so much for reading! I do not have much to say, other than I hope you enjoyed!_

 **Question of the Week:** _If Eleanor was to going to get a tattoo, what tattoo do you think she would get?_


	6. Gun

Chapter VI

 _ **G**_ _un_

"I'm sorry."

Eleanor randomly blurted out her apology to Deadshot once the group began walking. Floyd, who was taken aback by the sudden outburst, looked at her. She had her head down, an expression of remorse on her face. She felt guilty for trying to kill Rick, and for putting everyone's life in danger. He knew it and she did as well.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted," she elaborated. "Thank you for calming me down."

Floyd couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry about it, kid," he said. For emphasis, he punched her lightly on the shoulder. "It's what we grown-ups do. Besides, that hatred you have for Rick may come in handy later on."

"What do you mean?" She asked innocently.

Deadshot took a quick look around before answering. "Let's just say that I don't trust this whole operation. This isn't some terrorist attack. Bombs don't cause spirals and lightning to be shot from the sky. There is something they aren't telling us. Hell, you were possessed while we were up there!"

Eleanor took a second to ponder on Floyd's words. Of course she knew that both Amanda Waller and Richard Flag were professional liars. The whole attack on terror thing was a big cover up for what was really going down. Then, Lennie noticed something, or rather, someone was missing. If Amanda Waller had the Enchantress in her possession, then why did she need them to fight this "unknown" threat. Why would the Enchantress persuade Eleanor to join forces. Something wasn't adding up.

"I've been meaning to ask you something. I mean, what exactly is it that you do? Ya' know, with the whole resurrection and stuff. Do you have any limits?"

Eleanor couldn't say she was surprised. She knew that it was only a matter of time before the team started asking more questions about the lethal girl who could defy death, not once, but countless times. She had to admit, if the roles were reversed, she would be just as curious.

"If I told you," she said as a precaution, "you be able to kill me, and I am sorry, sir, but I have no plans to die before I see my parents again."

Deadshot laughed at her sassy attitude. "So," he continued to egg on, "you just use some type of witchy powers?"

The word "witch" made her think of the Enchantress, and she was definitely not like her. "I'm not a witch," she replied in a defensive way.

"Then what are you?"

 _I don't know,_ Eleanor thought to herself.

After being asked the question numerous times, she thought that she would have an answer by now. Since she discovered her _gifts,_ she questioned her existence. She had been called a prophet, death, and even a God. No one had ever taken the time to understand her. In the facility, they did not want to know what she was, but rather how much she could endure.

Perhaps she was a like Diablo. She had overheard the others calling him a said that he could shoot flames out of his hands, that he could torch an entire courtyard at will. Maybe they should call him a God. He seemed merciful enough.

"It's called Biokinesis," she whispered. "I think...I mean, I don't know. It's just a theory I came up with. It's where you can manipulate cells, restore them, recreate them. My body heals faster than I can die. The problem is...I need a reference, a sample of sort. I need something to be intact. I can't create an arm if there is nothing left. I can't even respond a finger. It's too hard and it takes too much energy."

"So," he drew out as a question. "You just woke up one day and figured this all out?"

"No," She said shaking her head. "I had a lot of time to think while I was locked up. After every test, I would listen to their result. I tried to figure out what they were doing. One day, they cut off my toe and figured out that once it's gone, it does come back."

"I'm sorry."

His apology had come unexpected, and Eleanor did not know why he felt the need to say it. She turned to him and spoke, "For what?"

"What they did to you. You're just a kid."

"I'm not that young, you know!" She found it odd how the team saw her as a child, but society had expected her to grow up so fast.

Eleanor had graduated from High School at fourteen. She attended college at fifteen. She was burdened with getting a job, because her parents wanted her to pay her own tuition by her second year. At the of her fifteenth year, she became an adult. She was put on trial for the crime that saved her father. Sentenced to the electric chair, her life was over. But here, with the team, she felt like a kid, as if she could be normal.

"Seventeen, right?" His smile widened as his mind wandered to when he was that age. "Wow, you have your whole life ahead of you."

His tone wasn't joking or patronizing. No, Floyd Lawson was speaking in a genuine way and it made her smile. She smiled as bright as she did when she saw the sunlight after spending her time in that hell of a facility.

 _My whole life ahead of me_ , she thought with a happy squeal _. Hopefully, I don't have to spend the whole thing in jail._

"Deadshot," she said, "Don't feel sorry. I'm out, aren't I?"

Their conversation had ended like that, abrupt but not unpleasant. The group walked in silence for awhile. Sometimes Harley would bark out some nonsense or Flag would order some commands. For the most part, conversations were kept to a minimal. Eleanor convinced herself that everyone wanted to just complete this mission and get home.

After a few minutes or so, Lennie had caught wind of her favorite person's voice. Digger was chatting it up with Slipknot. The two were in the back and away from the main crowd. The captain tried to speak in a low whisper. He obviously was trying to keep his conversation private from the others.

"Mind games," Digger whispered to the only member who would listen to him.

Slipknot leaned into the Aussie before muttering his quiet reply, "What's that?"

"All this bomb in the neck crap," he stated as if his first statement had been clear. "That ain't real, mate. See, they're trying to trap us with our own minds, right? But you look around, we're free, brah."

"How do you know this?" He asked, suspicious of the whole thing.

"Just trust me. I know, all right?" Digger replied. "It's a con. Now...I'm going, because I got a life to live. Question is, are you coming?"

Captain Boomerang stared at Slipknot as he considered the possibilities of his options. Possibility one, Digger was right and the whole thing was a hoax. In that case, they would be free to leave and didn't have to fear consequences. Possibility two, Digger was dreadfully wrong. That would result in the two getting their heads blown off. It was a fifty-fifty shot, and Slipknot decided to go with possibility one.

"Yeah," he replied to Digger's question.

The Aussie smiled a black tooth grin and tapped his head to gesture that Slipknot was intelligent. "Smart," he told him as they continued on walking.

Eleanor, being the nosy little thing that she had always been, listened in. She followed their conversation the entire time, and she knew that they were about to lose two members. How stupid could they be to think that they could just walk out? Amanda Waller was the devil and not someone to play with. They were insane if they thought she would bluff about inserting bombs in them.

Before she could warn them about their stupid plan, Digger signaled Slipknot to move. Digger turned and punched a guard in the face. Slipknot hit another man in the leg, causing him to fall. He when he attached himself to the wall and tried to escape.

Captain Boomerang threw one of his notorious boomerangs, which hit a soldier far away. He then found himself running the opposite way, but was caught. Katana secured him against the building, her sword to his neck. A piece of metal flew threw the air and Digger placed his hand to catch his boomerang.

"Sorry," he said to Katana. "It's what I do."

"Hold your fire," Flag shouted as watched Slipknot ascend onto the building. He waited a moment to see if he would stop, but he did not. Flag pulled out his device, killed the app, and with a boom...Slipknot was dead.

"Damn!" Chato shouted when the man's body went limp.

Eleanor gasped and gripped her mouth with her hand. She backed away from the building that held the swinging body and found herself next to Harley.

"Now that's a killer app," she giggled, but Eleanor did not find the fact that a man died funny.

"Harley," she growled under her breath.

"Okay," the colonel shouted. "You wanna keep playing the Hollywood Square version of 'I'll blow your freaking head off?' Are you next?" He looked in Chato's direction. He had been extremely quiet during the past few events.

"You tripping, homie!" Diablo said as he backed away from the deranged military officer.

"You next, Deadshot?"

 _Oh, this will not end well_ , Eleanor thought.

"You just threaten me?" Deadshot asked the rhetorical question.

"Oh, yeah."

Floyd looked around at everyone in disbelief. It was like he couldn't understand why this man has threatened him for what felt like the millionth time. It was as if Rick wanted to get killed by Deadshot.

"He just threatened me." He walked away from the "soldier", his finger pointed in his direction.

Flag, who was done with the conversation because he didn't care, commanded everyone to move out. He didn't look back as he and his soldiers took the lead. He left behind six individuals who were in shock and now hated his guts.

"You got a boyfriend?" Digger asked Katana. She removed her sword and gestured with her head for him to move out.

A strange sensation affected Eleanor's heart. She held onto her chest and let out a whimpered cry. She had never felt this feeling before. It hurt and was a pain that should could not describe.

"I felt him," she whispered to herself.

"I'm gonna kill him," Deadshot growled to Harley. He focused his attention on the Eleanor, who was feet away from the group, and got an idea. Harley's voice brought him back to reality.

"Well," she began, "you better make it quick 'cause he's gonna kill all of us one by one."

"I'm going to drop him, the sword lady, and five or seven of those SEALs," he said. "After that, I'm gonna need some help. You down?"

Harley smiled and replied a simple, "always." She paused before asking her next question. "What about the shit in our necks?"

He nodded his head towards Eleanor. "She'll be a big help with that."

"And what happens if she decides not to help us?" Harley questioned while briefly looking at girl. While she didn't like the idea of using her as a lethal weapon, Deadshot had a point. She would be a great help.

"Then _your friend_ can help us with it."

Harley's mind went from Eleanor to _her puddin'_. She hadn't seen him in such a long time. She had nearly forgotten about him in the past couple of minutes. She massaged the phone in her pocket and smiled. He was on his way.

"You're my friend too, you know," she quickly said, trying to curve the question. Harley nudged his shoulder before smiling up at him.

"Stay evil, doll face," he said before nodded towards the rest of the group, "Spread the word."

While Harley spread the word, Floyd set his sights on his new target, Eleanor Darling. She was currently walking with Diablo. His arm was wrapped across her shoulders, pulling her in close. She was in shock, but at least she was talking. The poor kid had been through so much in the last twenty four hours; heck, they all have.

"You okay, chica?" Chato asked for the millionth time.

"What?" she questioned in a daze. It took her a moment to realize that he was asking if she was alright. A smile formed on her lips and she replied, "Oh, yeah."

She was definitely not alright. Her hands were shaking, and her voice cracked when she spoke.

"You sure?" He pressed for the final time.

Her false smile wavered and she stared at him, unable to pretend anymore. "I felt him," she confessed. She continued to speak so that Diablo wouldn't be confused by her previous statement. "I felt his heart stop."

"Hey, kid," Deadshot called out, "Seems as that little hatred thing needs to come a bit sooner than later."

Before she could even reply, she found herself out of the grip of Diablo and into Deadshot's. Deadshot draped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her in close before talking. "Listen," he whispered, "in order for this to work, I need you to take out as many of these guys as you can because once we get Flag, they will start shooting. And, you may be bulletproof, but none of the rest of us are."

Instead of focusing on his plan, Eleanor was focused on the man that she just left behind. Diablo was now walking with Digger, her least favorite person. They were huddled together, whispering. She could only assume that Digger and soon Diablo were in on Deadshot's escape plan.

"How many?"

"What?"

"How many do I have to get rid of?" She said, not all too excited about killing people. She could only picture their families faces when they heard the news. "I don't know if-"

"I wouldn't ask you to do it if I didn't think it could be done," he answered. "I also wouldn't ask you if it didn't need to be done. You saw that man get his head blown off back there."

She winced at the thought and placed her hand over her heart, remembering the last beat.

"How long do you think it will be before he gets rid of all of us?"

A loud growl and crash erupted from behind group turned to see Captain Boomerang fly into a pile of garbage. Croc had been the one to hit him, and he showed no remorse. He continued to walk despite the guns that were pointed his way. Digger stood up quickly, dusting himself off.

"What did you say to him?" Harley asked, it was clear that she was more upset than worried.

"Nothing, just having a laugh." Digger answered. He adjusted the collar of his coat. "No worries. He's in."

They came upon an alleyway with fire and totalled cars. One vehicle was split in half by something that didn't look humanly possible. Eleanor decided that it was a better idea to stand behind the pack, closer to Diablo because she knew all hell was about to break loose.

"I have a bad feeling," she said to Diablo.

He nodded to show her that he agreed with her statement.

Rick got a message from his walkie talkie. He pulled it close to his mouth and said, "I'm on my way." He took off to join the group of soldiers that were ahead of them.

"I like these odds, mate," Digger announced to Deadshot. "You just say the word."

"Yeah," Harley instigated as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Come on."

For some reason Deadshot didn't give a signal, say OK, or initiate an attack on Flag. Instead he looked concerned and his reply to the two convicts seemed distant. "Yeah, uh...hold that thought." He walked towards the colonel.

"What the hell are they?" He asked. Rick's reply was cold and did not provide any answers.

"You cut and run, I'll blow your head off."

The demonic things began to growl; Rick knew that they would become hostile at any moment. "Hey, rugrat," he called to Eleanor. "Get rid of these things."

She was shaking and holding onto Chato's side. "I can't!" she called to him. Rick did not like that answer.

"The hell you can't!" He took her by the arm and dragged her closer to the front line. Eleanor's hand was ripped away from Diablo's jacket as he pulled her close. "That bomb may not kill you, but it will be fucking painful and knock you the hell out! And when you wake up, I will make sure mommy and daddy are dead!"

"Don't you threaten her!" Diablo warned.

"I-I can't get rid of them," Eleanor stuttered out as Rick held his gun closer to her. She was trying to keep her fear and frustration controlled. That mixture normally led her down the path to anger, and they all saw how well that went on the helicopter flight.

"Why the hell not?"

"They aren't human."

"So!"

"I've only ever dealt with human organisms!"

So, this girl's powers had restrictions. Rick pulled out a small handgun and a couple of rounds of ammo and tossed them at her. She struggled to catch all the supplies. Right before the demonic monsters came running towards them, Rick spoke to her.

"You better learn how to use a gun."

* * *

 **Hello!** _This chapter is on the shorter side, but I am so glad to have it complete! I am in a part of the movie that I rather not write because it is tedious and I want to just skip ahead but can't due to plot sake. Also, I kind of lost interest in this story, but I want to finish it because I promise that I would. Anyway, thank you so much for reading. I hoped that you enjoyed the chapter and will continue to come back and read. Please leave a review if you would like to!_

 **Question of the Week:** _If they ever meet, how do you think the Joker would react to Eleanor?_


	7. Headed

Chapter VII

 _ **H**_ _eaded_

Never in her life had Eleanor practiced her second amendment right, and she could honestly say that today would not be the day. Guns were not exactly her thing and she was as good as useless when the battle erupted. The unknown creatures, who were much more terrifying than Croc, viciously attacked. They rushed towards the mobs of soldiers and convicts, who were scrambling to shoot them down. Those who were in the front line were mauled. The others fired round after round in an attempt to kill the beast. Bullet shells clanked against the pavement.

The sound of each shot made Eleanor jump. It wasn't the noise that scared her, but rather the memories that the _bang_ sound brought to her mind. She had been shot so many times in her life, and despite being able to heal, bullet wounds still hurt like a bitch; they still traumatized her mind.

"Oi," Digger called out. He had been the only one to notice Eleanor standing frozen in the middle of the battlefield. She was shaking with a gun in one hand and ammo in the other. If she continued to stand there like a deer in headlights, it wouldn't be long before she was torn to pieces.

"Ankle biter!"

Eleanor turned towards Digger once she heard the ridiculous nickname. To her surprise, she was not angered or offended by the name. Actually, her reaction was quite the contrary. She was glad that he had spoke up, because without his voice, she would have still been in a daze. She never would admit it aloud, but, in that moment, she was happy to hear Digger's rough, Australian accent.

"Come 'ere, would ya'!"

He didn't need to tell her twice. Eleanor held the ammo and gun tightly in her hands as she ran forward towards Croc, Diablo, Captain, and Harley. She ignored the chaos surrounding her, and her fear of the gunshots was long gone. The _bangs_ of bullets had been replaced with the ever present sound of her drumming heart. Eleanor's chest was pounding, and she felt like her blood was on fire. At this point, adrenaline had kicked in and her limbs were moving on their own. It was as if she had disconnected from everything.

"At a girl!" Digger praised while she maneuvered her way through the rubble.

The Aussie's cheer had been said too early because right before Eleanor reached the crew, one of the creatures took a hold of her leg. It dragged her back, away from the four of them. It's claws ripped a hole in her prison uniform as well as scratched her skin open. Blood seeped down her leg from the wound. All she could do was hiss in pain.

Harley came to the rescue before the Eleanor even cried for help. She pulled out a gun, a black and gold revolver with love and hate written on the sides. She pointed it at the _thing_ and with a bang, it was dead.

A few tears trickled down Eleanor's cheeks as she pulled her leg close to her body to exam the wound. Her flesh had been desecrated. The four members of the squad stared down to see her skin hanging onto her leg. The cut was so deep that they could almost see the bone.

"God," she cried, when her adrenaline began to subside, and the actual pain kicked in.

"He ain't here, sweetheart," Harley spat as she hoisted Eleanor up by the arm pit. "It'll heal in about a minute. Don't think about it and go hide behind the flame _princesa_ before ya' get hurt again, or worse."

Eleanor did not miss the uncaring, irritated tone that was laced with Harley's words. Harley tossed the girl towards Diablo, and she stood limp in his arms.

 _Go hide behind the flame princesa before ya' get hurt again, or worse_ , Eleanor thought to herself. _Maybe she didn't mean it that way._

"Chica, are you alright?" Chato picked her up in a bridal position, one arm under her thigh and the other supporting her back.

Eleanor nodded, gritting her teeth in pain. She could feel her skin welting back together and the tissue repairing itself. While the healing process was not excruciating, it was extremely uncomfortable. Chato took note that the girl was breathing heavily, and that sweat rolled off of her forehead.

"You don't look so hot," he commented.

"Well, _thanks_ ," she said sarcastically in between pants. Eleanor rested her head against his chest. "Regeneration. I'm not working with much energy."

Eleanor let out a final grunt when the skin closed. Chato stared at the now non-existent wound. The only proof of its existence that remained as dried blood that trailed down her leg. After seeing the girl resurrect from the dead, he knew that he shouldn't have been surprised from her regenerating a bit of flesh, but he was. If he hadn't seen her do it, he wouldn't have believed that she had a hole in her leg moments before. There wasn't even a scar or an indication of any kind.

"You can put me down now," she said, barely panting anymore.

Chato respected her request and gently stood her up. He made sure to hold onto her sides, just in case she was still a bit unstable.

"Thank -," her gesture of gratitude was interrupted when a small, pink unicorn came soaring out of an alley next to them. Eleanor walked over to it and picked it up. It was the same one that she had seen sticking out of Digger's coat pocket when they first met. Question was, where was Digger?

She turned her head to see him in the narrow pathway. He had two curved daggers in his hands as he chopped at his attackers. Eleanor was surprised to see him fighting. She had expected him to take the same route as Chato, and not do a single thing.

"Hey," Flag screamed.

Eleanor's attention shifted from Captain Boomerang to Colonel Richard Flag. He was currently outnumber by the _things._ "Get off me! Get off me you son of a bitch!" He yelled as the creatures took him down. They began to drag his body across the cement and away from the others.

One of the other military members shouted out to Flag, but the colonel was too far away to be helped. "Flag," he shouted as the man was hauled away.

Harley watched as Rick was being taken, and a smile appeared on her face. "Good riddance!" she said with a laugh.

Deadshot turned to see the commotion and knew that if no one did anything, Rick was going to die. His death was not in their best interest at the moment. Waller had been clear that if anything happened to him, all of them would face the same fate.

"Harley!" He shouted over the mass sound of gunfire and demonic growls. "He dies, we die!"

The fact that there was a possibility of her dying was all Harley needed to hear in order to kick her ass in gear. She swiftly made her way to Flag, who was battling the monsters currently holding him down. She beat each one in the head with her bat, freeing Flag from their hold. At this point, Harley should have received some kind of award; she had saved two people in the last five minutes.

"Thanks," Rick said as she pulled him up off the ground.

"Shut up!" She hissed as she ran back off into the battle.

Deadshot was the one to end the battle. He had jumped onto the hood of a car and began firing relentlessly. His accurate shooting caused the other soldiers to become nothing but spectators. They lowered their guns and watched in awe as he fire off his rounds. Shot after shot, those _thing_ fell to the ground dead. The crazy part was, Deadshot did not miss once. He didn't need backup or to reload his weapon. By the time he was done, all of the monsters were dead, and the onlookers were left in shock.

Eleanor wondered how many shots a person has to fire in order to become that talented with a firearm. . _Guess that's why he's the world's most wanted hit man_ , she thought as Deadshot stepped off the car.

He walked past the gawking soldiers and over to Flag. "That's how I cut and run," he sneered before moving on.

Eleanor walked over to Digger, his pink unicorn in her hand. She had already dusted off all the dirt that the covered the stuffed animal. She extended it towards him while saying, "I'm guessing that this is yours."

An expression of happiness melted away his previous one of worry. He took the stuffed animal in his arms, hugging it close to his body. "Pinky!" He exclaimed as he tucked it away into his inside coat pocket.

Eleanor didn't know how to feel about the fact that this grown man loved this pink unicorn more than anything. Well, maybe he adored stealing money a tad more. She feelings were a mix between happiness, because she was able to return it to him, and disturbed. It was kind of weird that he was thirty and still kept that pink unicorn.

Unexpectedly, Digger grabbed her by the front of her prison uniform, dragging her close. His grip was so tight that it hoisted Eleanor's small form in the air. Her feet were dangling off the ground.

"If you tell anyone about this," he muttered. "I will rip your heart out myself."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she replied, uncomfortable. Then, Digger set her back on the ground.

What he said next was a surprise. Digger had spoken in a soft manner, and if she had not been so close, she wouldn't have heard it. Lowly, but surely, under his breath, he whispered a _thank you_ before walking away. Something about it made Eleanor's heart warm. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

Harley was hitting one of the creatures with her baseball bat. The _thing_ was obviously dead, but that didn't seem to matter to the blonde psychopath. Eleanor wasn't going to tell Harley that she wasn't her time and efforts. If beating it's corpse was the only way for her to get out her frustration and anger, then by all means, let her have at it.

"Hey," Deadshot said. "Come on."

"What? I saw it move?" She kicked it with her heel. "See? It flinched, I think."

 _It definitely did not move_ , Eleanor thought to herself. _Not after the amount of times you've beat it's head in._

"Hey, you were some help, princess," Digger said as he walked up to Chato.

"It's better this way. Trust me." Chato waved his hand and displayed a grim reaper of fire. The miraculous flames did not seem to provoke the right reaction from Digger.

"You're the fire block, eh?" he mocked, waving his hands around.

"Yeah...I was."

"Right, yeah." Digger pulled out a lighter and uncapped it. A small flame came from the tip. "Hey, well, look at this. It's fire! Whoo!" He made cheering noises and waved the lighter around. Chato was not amused with his taunts.

 _Guess we're back to square one_ , Eleanor thought. She had decided that Captain Boomerang was once again annoying.

The group lingered in the rubble for a few minutes. They looked around for clues, and everyone was trying to piece together the events that had taken place. It was obvious that they had not fought humans. The question was what were they and were there more. Eleanor had known that Flag and Waller were lying about the mission, but now everyone knew. Flag was going to need to start talking, before the entire crew got pissy.

"The brief said terrorist," Flag's partner, lieutenant GQ Edward said. "You want to start explaining this?"

"If I told you, would you believe me?"

Harley looked at one of the black creature corpses before asking, "What are they?"

"I don't know," he replied quickly. He was getting irritated from all the questions being asked. So, he decided to stick to short answers and maybe they would all get off his ass.

Deadshot, along with the rest of the gang, did not believe him. "That's bullshit! That thing had on a three thousand dollar watch. Is that a person?"

Rick gritted his teeth. "It was. Now, it's not." He walked by Digger, who was next to one of the dead bodies. He had slipped a watch off the creature's wrist and was twirling it around, listening to it.

"Hey!" He shouted at the Captain, "Don't!"

Killer Croc got close to Rick, growling and using his size as an intimidation method. The colonel gave him one look before backing down."We got a job to do. We're moving," he ordered. He looked over at the lieutenant. "Get your boys moving." Then, he motioned for the squad to leave. "Let's go."

As if they were cattle being herded, the self-proclaimed Suicide Squad, followed their "fearless" leader. Eleanor, for one, was getting tired of following orders. Her hate for Flag did not make the situation any better. The entire squad was doubting that their mission actually dealt with terrorist. He was leading them into a battle blindly. If they did not know what they were up against, how were they suppose to prepare?

"Hey, are you doing alright?" Chato asked as they walked down the streets of the burnt down city. If Eleanor had a dollar for every time he had asked if she was alright, she would have been a millionaire by now. It seemed as though he cared about her well being more than she did.

"Yeah," she said with a smile. "I'm fine. You don't have to ask all the time, you know. I can take care of myself."

He nodded in agreement, "I know you can take care of yourself. It's just that…you had a hole in your leg, and it's not everyday that you see a person walk after that."

"It healed." She made it seem as though it wasn't such a big deal, as if every person could heal themselves at will. Eleanor faced Chato before thanking him. Her thanks was said sweetly and it was genuine. "Thank you for caring, really."

Chato did not say _you're welcome_ , but he did nod so that she knew he had heard her. "Anytime."

"Hey," Harley cut in. Her new york accent was thick on her tongue. She placed her hands on Eleanor's shoulders while she looked at Diablo. "Can I steal her for a moment?"

Eleanor didn't know why Harley bothered to ask; she didn't give Chato any time to respond. She whispered a light _thanks_ before leading the girl away from the group.

"Harley, I-"

"Listen, Lennie," she began, pulling her closer that Eleanor was comfortable being. "There's a storm coming and we're all about to get screwed over, by Mr. Bigshot over there."

Harley took her bat and pointed it at the two figures who were walking at the front of the line. The two men happened to be Deadshot and Flag. The odd thing was, it looked as if they were having an actual conversation. _Strange_ , Eleanor thought. _Last time I checked, those two were at each other's throats._

Even though she knew that something was up, Eleanor decided to play dumb to see what Harley was going to say. Maybe she had heard something that Eleanor hadn't. "Harley," she said. " I don't understand what you're talking about."

Harley huffed in irritation as if whatever the _storm_ she had been referring to was obvious. "Okay, I'm going to need you to track a little bit faster," she hissed. "Deadshot's a _rat_ , and he's going to throw us under the bus. Now, I don't know about you but all this _time off your sentence_ shit is bull. I've been locked up for too long and I'm not going back."

"Why are you telling me this?" Eleanor asked, genuinely confused. Out of all the members she could have picked, she chose her. Why?

"Because, this affects you."

"Yeah," Eleanor cut off, "it affects all of us."

"Yeah, but you're a good kid; and I'm sure whatever the hell got your ass in this mess was not really your fault. I'm offering you a way out," she paused for a moment, before continuing. "I'm leaving soon, and you can come with me. All you have to do is say, yes."

"What about my parents?"

"If they are what you want, then I help you find them," Harley laughed. "Nothing is impossible for me to get, especially for my friends."

Eleanor was left speechless, unable to move or respond in any way, shape, or form. Here she was, this marvelous angel name Harley, offering her everything that she wanted: her parents and a way out of Waller's clutches. Yet, she did not know if she wanted to say yes or no.

"How long?"

Harley popped the large bubble of gum that she had blown and shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't gotten the text yet, but I'm guessing about an hour or so. I'll give you a proper notice when it's about time."

"Text?"

Harley ignored her question and nudge her shoulder. "So, you in or out, cupcake."

Eleanor took a moment, but she hesitantly nodded her head yes; that was all the confirmation Harley needed. One of her infamous smiles spread across her lips and she let out a little squeal of happiness. "Good choice," she said over and over while patting the girl on the back.

"I just know puddin' is gonna love ya'."

Eleanor assumed that by _puddin'_ was Harley's nickname for the Joker. She had heard of him, seen pictures of him online and on tv. They had talked about the infamous gangster more than once on the News and in her high school classrooms. She didn't know if the Joker liking her was a good or bad thing. She could only assume that being on his good side was better than being on his bad side.

Suddenly, Harley stopped celebrating. She seemed to have been distracted by something. Her eyes trailed off as she looked to the side. "Excuse me," Harley said before leaving the girl alone.

Seconds later, the unexpected sound of shattering glass filled the air. Other than a gunshot, there was nothing else that got Eleanor's attention sooner or heart accelerating faster. Of course, it had to be a false alarm. Harley was standing next to a mall window, the glass shattered at her feet. She bent over, her small shorts not leaving much to the imagination, and grabbed a bag off the display shelf.

"Seriously," Rick yelled as he pointed his gun at Harley. "What the hell is wrong with you people?"

She held onto the bag's chain and slugged it over her shoulder. With a roll of her eyes and a shift in her hip she replied to the colonel in a very sarcastic manner. "We're bad guys. It's what we do." Harley said it as if it was obvious, and continued to walk in the direction they were headed.

* * *

 **Hello!** _Thank you for reading this week's chapter and thank you to all of those who reviewed last chapter! I think it is funny how many people like the idea of Lennie and Digger together, and that the majority of you guys hate Flag! Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter even though it is one of the shortest I have done._

 **Question of the Week:** _If Eleanor had a super hero (or villain) name, such as batman or wonder woman, what do you think it would be?_

* **Fun Fact:** _I actually don't cuss in real life, so writing scenes where characters cuss has always be really awkward for me because I have to think of how to use words that I never really use!_


	8. Individual

***This chapter is unedited; read at your on risk of witnessing mistakes in grammar and spelling.**

Chapter VIII

Individual

They had been walking for what felt like hours and to be quite honest, Eleanor had grown tired of walking. She had become bored of the endless, unless chit chat provided by the Task Force members. She had grown to hate Flag and his persistence to keep secrets from them. The colonel had kept the squad on a need to know basis, and the lack of information was driving her insane. She did not enjoy being kept in the dark, and Flag wasn't the only person keeping her there.

Ever since Harley had left her, Eleanor had a lot on her mind. She had offered her a solution to her problem, a proposal that no rational person would say no to. The proposition had sounded all fine and dandy at the time, but that's all it had been, a proposition. Harley hadn't gone into any detail about how exactly they were suppose to escape. She had only said two things: The two of them would be leaving soon and that she would receive a text when it was time. It wasn't that she didn't trust Harley. Eleanor just found it hard to keep faith in someone who told her nothing. She needed to protect herself and she was determined to stay alert. She could not allow herself to sell her soul to two devils in less than forty-eight hours.

Another topic among her thoughts was the name Deadshot. A voice in her head told her that she should be angry with him, but another convinced her otherwise. She tried to create excuses for his unusual behavior, rationally, she knew there was no reason Deadshot would be caught dead being besties with Flag. Eleanor couldn't believe that Deadshot, a man who seemed to despise Flag, would ever choose to side with him. Maybe, Harley had overheard a portion of the conversation and her paranoia caused her to jump to conclusions. Perhaps, Flag really did offer him a deal, but out of the goodness of his heart, Floyd had denied.

She was hoping that it was the latter.

She promised herself that she would ask Deadshot about the entire thing later; she wanted to refrain from jumping to any conclusions, just in case Harley was wrong. She then convinced herself that she would be safe with Harley, and whether Deadshot was a rat or not, she would be escaping with her. There would be no debate about that.

Eleanor was glad to finally be alone in her own mind, no voice or concerned thoughts to bother her into worrying. She thought that she could perhaps relax and remained calm until the rescue; that dream was crushed when she heard Digger's annoying voice ring close to her ear. At that moment, she would have traded the opportunity to listen to her own make believe voices rather than the infamous Captain Boomerang's blabbering.

"Oi," Digger shouted, nearly busting her eardrum due to his closeness. Eleanor scooted away from him and crossed her arms, closing herself off from him. "You and her are getting kind of buddy-buddy. You know that she's cracking fruities, don't ya'?"

Eleanor's face scrunched up as he spoke; she could barely understand any of the words that he uttered with that ridiculously thick accent. His voice reminded Eleanor of some short of cartoon character, but she couldn't quite place what she had in mind.

Oh...she thought, he reminds me of a Looney Tune.

When he continued to talk, Eleanor cut in and said, "I can't understand a word that comes out of your mouth, you know?" She had meant to be honest, but it had come out rather rudely.

He rolled his eyes and pointed one of his metal boomerangs at Harley. She was currently strutting over to the crocodile man, KC. "You and her," he said slowly. Digger was acting as if Eleanor was a small child who could only understand things with the aid of hand gestures. "You two seem to be best mates."

"What? Are you sad that you didn't get invited to join the best friend group," she joked. Digger didn't find her joke very funny, and his face showed that. "But honestly," Eleanor continued in less of a joking mood. "I don't understand why Harley and I being best mates concerns you."

Eleanor had noticed that the way she spoke to Digger was always different from the way she spoke to anyone else on the team. Every conversation with him had left her irritated and in an awful mood. Her remarks were sarcastic and rude. It was as if Captain Boomerang brought out the worst in her.

"It doesn't, ankle biter," Digger snapped. He suddenly came very close to Eleanor. Feeling as though her personal space had been invaded, she tried to move away quickly. Digger grabbed her around the waist and dragged her back to him. His grip didn't hurt, but she did let out a quiet yelp. That caught the attention of Diablo.

"Aye, chica?" he called back to her from ahead of the line. It was hard for him to see her through the crowd of soldiers. "You alright?"

There it was again, his signature question that made Eleanor's heart warm. She was happy to know that someone in this squad genuinely cared for her well being. Eleanor opened her mouth to shout that she was definitely not okay, and that this Australian heathen was bothering her, but Digger took it upon himself to answer on her behalf.

"She's alright, mate! She had a bit of a cough; just making sure she's okay." Digger pretended to pat the teenager on the glanced down at her with a look that could have killed. Not wanting any trouble, Eleanor replied that she was fine, and Diablo hesitantly turned around.

"I just thought I'd do ya' a favor and let you know that Harley...well, she's a bit...off," he said to Eleanor as they continued to walk very closely together.

"And you aren't?"

"Listen," he hissed, "I just wanted to warn you be-"

"Why do you eat people?" Harley asked Killer Croc with a playful smile on her face.

The question had shocked Eleanor and she had tuned out the Aussie's yapping. She didn't know why Harley's inquiry had been such a surprise for her to hear; she had heard Diablo warn someone earlier about KC being a cannibal, but no one had actually addressed it. Eleanor's stomach clenched at the thought of him actually eating a person. She had to admit, out of all the crimes that the members had confessed, cannibal had to be the worst of them all.

Eleanor noticed that she wasn't the only one who was curious about the question Harley had asked. The entire task force, besides Digger who was still chatting her up, had turned their attention towards Harley. She was prancing around the Killer Croc's large figure, her bat secured behind her head.

"He e-eats people?" Eleanor stuttered out.

"What?" Digger asked, obviously not on the same page as the rest of the squad. He had been so concerned about warning Eleanor that he hadn't even focused his attention on Harley. He looked up to see the blonde bothering KC.

"Who? Killer croc? Ya' the blokes a cannibal," he said rather quickly in order to dismiss her question and regain her attention. It didn't work. "Are you bloody listening to me?"

Croc snarled at Harley before finally answering the million dollar question with an incomplete sentence. It was as if he could barely speak english. "Give me power."

She stepped in front of him, temporarily halting him from walking. She seductively looked at him, batting her long eyelashes, and flaunting her feminine charm. "Would you like to eat me?" If Eleanor had not known that KC was a cannibal, she would have regarded Harley's question as a dirty one.

"Hell. No."

That was not the answer Harley wanted to hear. She put on a fake sad face, as if she felt rejected by his reply. "Aw," she whined. "Why not?"

"I don't want your crazy." His answer was blunt and made both Eleanor and Deadshot laugh a bit.

"Says the guy who lives in a sewer," Harley shot back in a rather rude manner.

"At least I know it's a sewer," he growled.

"Oh, I get it," she exclaimed before swinging her bat to gesture to the shops that lined the alley's pathway. "Because it's like this is a sewer too. Only with nice shops and restaurants, right? You hate mankind much?" She patted his arm lightly. "Let me guess. Mommy didn't take you to Chuck E. Cheese on your sixth birthday. I can recommend a good therapist."

Croc lifted his fist, ready to punch the living daylights out of Harley but he stopped himself. Eleanor guessed that he decided that Harley wasn't worth his time. For a moment, his fist lingered in the air, but he then growled and retracted his arm. Harley let out a laugh. She seemed to be the only one humored by the event.

"You see," Digger whispered to Eleanor. This time, his sentence had actually been heard by her. "She's a psycho, a ticking time bomb. Do what' ya' want, ankle biter, but that girl is crazy, and it would do you well if ya' stayed far away from her. Ya' know, before she blows up and ya' get hurt in the process."

Eleanor didn't reply, because she didn't have one. He removed his hand from her waist and took his leave. She watched as the Captain walked away from her and made his way to the front of the line. His words rang in her mind for a short minute before she convinced herself to silence them. She trusted Harley more than she trusted Digger.

Diablo was the only member to question why Harley was playing these useless mind games. "Why?" he asked, obviously disapproving of her behavior.

Harley's face twisted into a nasty snarl. "Because," she spat, "I'm bored. I need a victim, a mind to pry apart and spit in!"

Digger walked past the two, acting as though Harley wasn't even there as he did so. "You just leave it, mate," he advised to Diablo. "She's a rabbit hole. Don't fall in."

As Harley moved onto her next victim, Katana, Eleanor felt herself become quite uncomfortable. She had to agree with Digger's last comment; Harley had been acting strange ever since she spotted Deadshot and Flag talking together. She had switched from playful crazy to an obnoxious. Eleanor was hoping that Digger's warnings about Harley hurting her had been false. She was hoping that the personality Harley was displaying at the moment wasn't her true one.

"And here's one now," Harley said, referring to her previous comment about needed a victim. "Japanese, female, mid-twenties, five foot five, good health, athletic, and...an only child with deep seeded father issues. Daddy wanted a son, so she has to hide behind a mask."

Katana, who was not one for Harley's games, halted and stared at the psychiatrist turned psychopath. She unexpectedly removed her mask, revealing her rather youthful face and a stern expression. "I am not hiding," she declared, making sure that everyone knew that mask was not a shield.

The reveal of Katana's face had not been the reaction that Harley was expecting, but it did please her. "Yeah," she said with a smile on her lips. "That was ganster!"

"Harley," Deadshot shouted. "Why don't you stop acting like a drunken stripper."

This is not going to be good, Eleanor thought to herself.

If Eleanor's theory was right, and Harley's drastic personality change was because of Deadshot, she doubted that any conversation between them would end in anything less than a verbal or physical fight.

Harley turned on her heel and made strutted over to Deadshot. Her heels making loud clacks with each heavy step she took. The others minded their own business and continued along, but Eleanor listened in. She wanted to know if Deadshot was really what Harley said he was to be.

"You want to tell me what the hell is going on then?" She growled at him. "Because…" she pretended to sniff around. "I smell a rat!"

He pretended not to hear her last comment. "If they don't blow our heads off, we'll have to fight our way out of this city," Deadshot tried to explain to her. He sounded more like a father scolding a bad child. "I need you to play nice with the other children.

"And quietly return to my cage? Sure, okay. Hey, that's okay. Sellout, I get it. I know how the world works, okay? And when it comes to the heart, everyone for themselves, right?" Harley spat out her last words before walking off in a haste. She did not want to look at the sellout longer than needed.

"Wha' did I tell ya'," she said as she passed a baffled Eleanor. She didn't wait for a reply. Harley kept walking, leaving Eleanor with Deadshot.

At this point, Eleanor didn't know exactly how to feel. She thought that maybe she was perhaps a bit too gullible to think that a criminal would do anything but sell out other criminals. Out of all of the members in the squad, she would have thought that Deadshot would be the least likely to switch teams mid mission. MAybe she expected more; maybe she hoped that there was more to each one of the members besides being criminals.

"Is it true?" she questions as she slowly walked alongside him. "Harley told me that you're selling us out and getting buddy-buddy with Flag."

"Well, the two of you seem to getting buddy-buddy yourselves." Deadshot didn't even look at her when he replied. Eleanor assumed that his guilt wouldn't allow him to look her in the face.

"What did he offer you?" She asked. "Your kid? Your freedom? A big, fat wad of cash?" When he didn't answer her, she continued to talk despite the fact that the conversation was one way.

"Listen, Mr. Floyd."

He looked at her when she said his actual name.

"I'm not mad," she began. "I am however disappointed. After Harley told me, you know, I actually tried to convince myself that she was a paranoid freak who had misheard a conversation between you and Flag. You know, I wanted to believe that the fatherly Floyd that fought Flag and calmed me down on that helicopter was the real you, but he's not."

"I know that whatever they offered you is probably really appealing and I know that you are probably desperate to get back to your daughter, but selling out these guys is not the answer. Waller is not going to give you money, your freedom and she sure as heck isn't going to give you your daughter back," she tried to convince him. "She's a liar and she's using all of us in her power play game. She made this team, and I doubt she needed us for one mission. Think about it. She went through the trouble to bring us all together. She's going to use us until we all drop dead. I don't trust people like that, and neither should you. I don't hate you, but I do hate what you're thinking about doing."

Eleanor left before he could say anything. She rather that he didn't say anything to her. She did not want to hear something that Deadshot would have regretted saying later.

"Take a knee." Everyone followed Flag's command and lowered themselves onto their knees. "Our body's at the top of that building. We get up there, pull them out of the vault they're hiding in. From there, Helos extract us off the roof."

The group nodded and head out. Eleanor felt a twinge of panic surged through her veins. Once they got that person out of the vault, this entire mission would be over. In other words, if Harley's plan didn't speed up, the two of them would soon be back at Belle Reves and back in cells. She needed that text to be sent now; Eleanor wasn't going back to a cell.

"Waller?" Flag whispered into his walkie talkie. "We're about to enter the building. Get the chopper ready."

Deadshot, who had grown impatient from the long drawn out mission, walked ahead of Flag. "What do you say we get this over with?" He pulled at the glass door until it shattered. Without looking back, he strutted into the building, not caring if he left the entire team behind.

"What the hell?" Flag yelled, upset that he would choose now to be rebellious. "Deadshot, fall back!" He kept walking.

Grunting, the colonel was forced to follow him into the deteriorated building. He signaled for the rest of the group to moved inside with him, and they did. "You mind if we tag along?" Flag asked Deadshot sarcastically.

With one look, any member of Task Force X could have told you that this building seemed to be vacant. Other than a couple of large rubble pieces, there weren't any obstacles obstructing their path to the target. "Looks like we have a spot of luck, eh?" Digger told the group, flashing a rather toothy grin. "Be a walk in the park. Easy peasy."

Deadshot turned to him, annoyed that he was talking. "Don't make me shoot you," he warned.

His comment only made Captain Boomerang laugh.

Harley's lips brushed Eleanor's earlobe, causing her to shudder from the unexpectedness. "Move closer to that door over there," she whispered, hoping that nobody would hear her. She was cautiously looking around. Stay where you are, and don't move for nothing," she whispered. "I'm gonna go check a text." With a wink, the blonde was gone. Eleanor didn't question it, despite her desire to.

What exactly does she mean by not move? Eleanor thought to herself. She noticed that she was falling behind the group, but she didn't want to go against Harley's instructions.

She moved towards the door and stood for no more than five seconds. Suddenly, a clothed hand wrapped around her mouth, and an arm was wrapped around her waist. She wanted to scream, but something stopped her. Eleanor glanced up to see Harley in an elevator and waving goodbye. Maybe it was the chloroform in the cloth, but she could have sworn that Harley gave her one last wink before ascending.

"Goddamnit!" Flag shouted in anger as he watched Harley go up.

The crew glanced up to see that Harley was in an elevator, waving goodbye. "Harley!" Deadshot yelled to her as she continued to go up and away.

Harley's making a distraction, Eleanor realized before everything turned black. The team was so focused on Harley, who was more likely to escape, that they didn't see the unknown stranger taking her away.

"Go," Flag ordered to the group. "Go, go, go, go!"

Everyone one rushed up to the fifth floor using the had warned her not to move for anything, so she waited as the crew ran in the opposite direction. Surprisingly, they had reached the top before Harley had. Task Force X was encircled around the elevator exit, awaiting her to make her grand entrance. It was silent except for the occasional growl that came from Killer Croc. A ding was heard. The elevator opened and there was Harley, looking like she had just fought a bear.

She stared at the group with an innocent expression. "Hey, guys!" She exclaimed happy to see everyone. She stepped over the body of a dead creature. Eleanor could only assume that she had been the one to kill it. Harley made he way past the baffled group. She turned around when she saw that no one was following. "Come on. Let's go."

Harley briefly looked past the group and over the railing. Eleanor was gone, just as planned; and to Harley's surprise her distraction had worked. No one had noticed that they were missing a certain individual.

* * *

 _ **Hello!** Thank you to all of those who read, reviewed, and followed last chapter! I apologize about the unedited chapter and possible grammar/spelling errors. I just really wanted to get this chapter out before I start school again. I can't believe that this story is finally to 600 followers and almost to 200 reviews! I can genuinely say that I am so proud because I have never stuck with a story this long nor have I ever gotten this much attention. So, thank you to everyone who reviews and continues to keep pushing me to finish this story! We are actually half way through the story! It should be done around chapter fifteen!_

 _ **Question of the week: If Eleanor was to have a theme song, what would you think it would be?**_


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